I felt it.
I looked between her legs, making sure I kept up with the
motions of my hand until she was completely finished. Come was
leaking out of her bare pussy onto the rug. I swallowed thickly and
• 204 •
Better Off red
fought the urge to replace my hand with mouth. It was the hottest
thing I’d ever seen.
She sat up and gathered me in her arms, like I needed a few
moments to recover. I stroked her back and her hair and softly kissed
her cheeks and her forehead. She exhaled and held me tighter.
“It was pretty amazing, wasn’t it,” I said.
“Best orgasm I’ve ever had,” she replied with a kiss to my neck.
“Yeah, right.” My tone was bitchier than I intended, but I
couldn’t fight the tightness in my chest. I had decades of lovers to
compete with. I shuffled off her lap and reached for my bra.
And I was flat on my back before I could get the strap around
my arm. Camila ripped the bra from my hand and tore my sweats off
my legs. When my lungs snapped back into action, she was on top
of me, her hips pressing my body into the floor.
“I’m being honest with you,” she grumbled fiercely. “It’s very
easy to fuck someone, but no one has ever made love to me before.
Not before you.”
“Really?” You are not going to cry. You are not going to cry.
Camila rolled her eyes then kissed me. “You drive me crazy,
Red. I hope you know that.”
“Good. I love you. And since you’re already on top of me…”
Her fingers sliding into my pussy was her reply.
❖
I swear Amy had set up a pup tent outside the elevator. I saw
her out in the kitchen the moment the door slid open. The very
second my big toe hit the landing in the pantry, she came bolting
into the small space, screeching my name, ready to take me down
for a thorough debriefing. She came up short the moment she saw
Camila beside me.
“Oh. Hi.” Her lips quivered as she tried to hold in a giggle of
embarrassment.
“Hello, Amy. It’s nice to see you too,” Camila replied.
Her tone was suddenly formal. It made me happy to think that
even though she was perfectly comfortable joking around with the
• 205 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
girls, hanging out with them casually, she only seemed to relax with
me. Amy wouldn’t have known there was a difference, and I was
okay letting that be the case.
Either way, Camila’s tone and sudden appearance on the first
floor of the house didn’t stop Amy from flapping her gums. It just
slowed her a little bit.
“Are you going to come bake with us?” Amy asked her. Camila
took my hand and led me out of the elevator.
“As a matter of fact, I am. I’ve been neglecting you girls a
little,” she said.
“Oh, I fully blame Ginger for that.” Amy grinned, the total
suck up she was.
“I didn’t miss you at all.” I scowled back at her.
“Yes, you did. You love me,” Amy replied, lacing her arm
through mine on the other side as we walked into the kitchen.
Thanks to Camila and her amazing mouth and fingers and
teeth, I had missed dinner, but at nine, my presence was required in
the ABO kitchen. All of us new girls had several hundred cookies,
brownies, and other miscellaneous treats to prepare for our Types of
Hope bake sale. I barely finished my homework in time to slip back
into some clothes and head upstairs. I’d every intention of sneaking
a few baked goods.
When we stepped into the kitchen I saw that all of the new
girls were there, except Anna-Jade, Benny, and Ruth. Cleo and
Danni were missing too. I was surprised to see Paige and Samantha
helping Florencia clean up the remains of an enormous meal.
Apparently, we’d missed a formal Sunday dinner. They covered the
last few dishes and slid them into the Sub-Zero while Gwen and
to make cookies and cupcakes for the whole university.
Amy followed Camila and me as we took up post near the
fridge, trying to stay out of the way until Kate and Jordan had
delegated baking duties. As our community outreach chairs, it was
up to them to decide who got to do the fun work like decorating and
who had to sit outside the cafeteria selling the goods.
• 206 •
Better Off red
Camila settled against the counter and pulled me between
her legs. I let out a contented sigh, trying to ignore Amy. She was
practically vibrating, just dying to get some dirt out of me. She knew
better than to ask how good the sex was right in front of Camila. Or
so I thought.
She leaned toward us and lowered her voice in a crappy attempt
to be subtle, but the dramatics of talking out of the side of her mouth
caught Laura’s and Paige’s attention. And Samantha’s. I glared back
at Samantha. She took the hint to mind her own business and looked
away.“I do have one question for you,” Amy muttered to Camila.
“What would that be?” I could feel Camila’s breath against my
neck.“Did you like her outfit?” Amy asked.
“Yes, Amy, I did.” Camila laughed.
“Did you like what she had on underneath it?”
My head snapped in Amy’s direction. “Amy. Jesus.” Camila
continued to take her prodding graciously, even though Amy
deserved a good smack.
“I did, Amy. Thank you,” Camila replied.
I had to get Amy to shut up. Asking where Cleo, Danni, and
Benny were seemed like the perfect subject to use as a diversion.
“Hey—” I started. Just then Florencia appeared in front of me
with a covered plate of food. My name was written on the cellophane.
“Oh. Thank you,” I said, not bothering to hide my shock.
“It’s still warm, but I would heat it up,” she said. Florencia’s
voice, with its full accent, was so warm and inviting. It was hard
to believe she was as unfriendly as Cleo had made her out to be.
Camila took the plate from her with another gracious thank you,
then stepped around me to slide the plate in the microwave. Her
duties as occasional mother complete, Florencia slipped out of the
room into the living room. Listening to Cleo hadn’t exactly paid
off in every department. As I watched her stocky form disappear
through the swinging door, I made a mental note to try to have a
conversation with Florencia sometime soon.
• 207 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
I retrieved my reheated food, and Camila and I plopped down
at the table while Kate and Jordan divvied out tasks. Amy swore up
and down she had the most amazing sugar cookie recipe so Jordan
put her on the baking squad with Samantha, Laura, and Gwen, who
all made similar claims. My baking skills were on par, but I was too
busy wolfing down Florencia’s cornbread and mashed potatoes to
volunteer for the most urgent job.
Camila and Faeth, who appeared quite suddenly, volunteered
to help Ebony, Kyle, and Maddie with icing and decorating. Their
artistic vampire skills were far superior to those of us humans. Irene,
Mel, and I were put on wrapping duty. Paige gave Mel a couple
million baggies and red ribbons, playfully threatening our lives if
we didn’t make each little package of treats look professionally
prepared. They told us then that Ruth and Benny were out with Cleo
wallpapering campus with bake sale fliers. Amy threw in that Danni
had a group project to finish.
Anna-Jade was MIA. I checked the clock. She still had three
minutes to call or make an appearance. I wouldn’t have been
surprised if Paige had whipped out a stopwatch, but at eight fifty-
nine, the front door slammed.
“I’m here. I’m here. Don’t bake without me,” we heard Anna-
Jade yell from the foyer. Seconds later she came sprinting into the
kitchen, flushed and grinning ear to ear. The whole room looked at
her as she narrowly avoided slamming right into Laura.
“Hey. Sorry. I’m not late, am I?” she panted, shrugging out of
her ABO jacket.
“No,” Paige said. She reached into the fridge and handed Anna-
Jade a plate Florencia had set aside for her.
“Thank—” Anna-Jade was interrupted by Amy’s shriek.
“OMG!” Amy wiped her hands on a towel, then power-walked
around the counter. Anna-Jade turned an interesting shade of white
and shuffled back a step. Amy took her arm, then playfully grabbed
Anna-Jade’s head and craned her neck in our direction. “A.J. has a
hickey.”
“I do?” Anna-Jade broke free and whipped her body to the side.
The front of the fridge was just shiny enough for her to get a look at
the mouth-shaped bruise on her neck. “Oh gosh. It’s huge.”
• 208 •
Better Off red
“The girl comes in here with a hickey the size of a doughnut
and says ‘Oh gosh,’” Ebony said, shaking her head.
“Who the hell gets hickeys these days?” Amy said.
“A.J. does, apparently,” I said. It was a huge hickey.
“At least we know Micah knows how to use those juicy lips,”
Paige said, and for the first time ever I saw her smile. I stared at her
for a second. It was a little creepy.
Kate walked over to Anna-Jade and got a closer look at her
neck. She snickered. “I’ll show you how to cover that up. Go eat.
You can be on wrapping duty for now.”
“Okay. Oh, um, Micah said the guys will donate a hundred
bucks if we make a cake just for their freshman.” Anna-Jade blushed.
“Fine, but you have to ice it. Now eat,” Kate said, swatting at
her playfully.
After Anna-jade was thoroughly embarrassed, some of the girls
scattered until their skills were actually needed. Kate plugged in
her iPod and blasted the room with girlie pop. Anna-Jade skipped
heating up her food and sat with me and Camila. I should have
thanked her for taking Amy’s attention off me. Mel, Irene, and Faeth
joined us at the table with a deck of cards. I opted out of the games,
deciding it would be more fun to feel Camila up under the table
while she and Irene took on Faeth and Mel in a game of spades.
It all started as innocent caressing with one hand on her knee as
I finished my dinner. She was mine now and I didn’t see any reason
not to adore her amazing body at every possible moment. Plus, I owed
her for interrupting my productive afternoon of learning. I drew lazy
circles across her thigh with my fingertips. I was making myself hot
all over again just touching her, but soon I realized that part of her
vampire strengths, particularly her nerves of steel, were not on my
side. My super sexy efforts were getting no reaction out of her at all.
That annoyed the hell out of me. I was powerless against her smallest
attempts at seduction. I inched my fingers a little closer to her crotch,
determined to prove that a certain redhead was her true weakness.
Mel’s gaze shot to me when I dropped my fork.
Camila had caught my wandering hand and rubbed it against
her crotch. I could feel the heat of her body through her jeans and
• 209 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
that made my pussy instantly wet. She leaned over and kissed me
just below my ear, holding my hand in place. I stopped breathing.
She whispered to me, swiveling her hips, “I love you, Red, but
don’t start something you can’t finish right now.” She quickly let go
of my hand and turned right back to her cards.
Faeth let out a booming belly laugh that made her brown curls
shake. “Keep distracting her, Ginger. She’s cheating.”
I picked up my fork and my pride and finished the last bit of my
dinner. Camila was sweet to me still, giving me little kisses on my
cheek and my neck between hands of cards. After a while, I didn’t
feel like such an idiot for blowing my attempt at turning her on.
Faeth kept taking little digs at Camila’s shady approach to
the game, and I noticed for the first time that Faeth had a little bit
of accent. It may have been Australian, but I couldn’t tell. It went
nicely with her firm, husky tone.
“Faeth, where are you from, um originally? I love your accent.”
“Don’t tease her with compliments, baby. She doesn’t respect
me enough to keep her hands to herself,” Camila joked. I think. And
then I remembered what she’d said the night before about Tokyo and
Faeth and their argument over me. I didn’t think asking her, or even
complimenting her about something as little as her voice, could be
viewed as an invitation or a come on, but then again, I didn’t know
this sister-queen at all. I looked from Camila back to Faeth just as
she gazed across the table at me. Her normally dark eyes were now
glowing amber beneath her thick lashes. I swallowed, unable to look
away.“Faeth, cut that shit out,” Camila muttered dryly. She grabbed
my chair and pulled it closer, marking her territory. That snapped me
out of Faeth’s trance.
“I was born in New Zealand. It’s your go, Irene,” Faeth replied.
I didn’t miss the way her eyes started to dim.
“Oh. Well. It’s nice,” I muttered, cuddling closer to Camila.
Faeth just smirked and played her next card.
❖
• 210 •
Better Off red
Operation Bake Sale dissolved into a full on dance party the
moment Ruth, Cleo, and Benny got back to the house. They came
into the kitchen somewhere around the first few notes of “She
Wolf” and Cleo couldn’t stop herself from doing her best Shakira
impression, which included seductively dancing up on Paige. Once
my duties as packing elf were complete, Camila and I snuck away to
bed. It had only been a few hours, but I wanted her to myself again.
I needed her to touch me.
Around seven the next morning, Cleo came and grabbed me for
breakfast. I saw then that early mornings were Cleo’s down time.
She seemed to be fine, but she was quiet and subdued as we walked
to campus. I wanted to ask her what was on her
mind, but I was also
a big fan of moments where I could be alone in my head, even with
other people around. By lunchtime, when I met up with her at our
bake sale table outside the cafeteria, she was back to full Cleo crazy,
calling Anna-Jade out on her hickey in front of Micah and Greg.
The bake sale was a complete success. Everything was gone
before one o’clock, and the OBA boys were bragging all over
campus about the cake we’d baked for them. We got some nasty
looks from the Xi O girls and their rushes, but they didn’t do a good
job of portraying superiority over raging jealousy.
All day, I got texts from Camila. Not exactly notes in my
locker, but still perfect reminders of why I fell so hard for her and
why every free moment was filled with wanting her. I couldn’t wait
to get back to the house.
The sister-queens were having their weekly meeting, apparently
to talk about us and any other vampire related matters that needed
to be covered. My refusal to go through the switch and the fact that
I was useless as a feeder, left me in this weird gray zone. Whatever
happened between Camila and me in the future was our business,
but I was still part vampire-demon, sort of. I would always be
welcomed in their world no matter what role I took. Camila wanted
me to see what went into being a responsible member of vampire
society. Once the formal part of the gathering was out of the way, we
would talk about my blood.
• 211 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
Camila and I dragged ourselves out of bed after a not-so-quickie
and headed to Omi’s quarters. I was glad Camila had thought to
include me, but I had no idea how the other sister-queens felt about it.
“They don’t mind that I’m coming?”
“Not at all. I spoke with them and Dalhem about you. No matter
what you decide to do, you’re part of the family now.”
“I feel bad that I’m sort of worthless.”
“You are very far from worthless. It’s up to you where you
want to fit in, and they want to help you figure that out. Even if a few
of them also want to fuck you.” I scowled at the playful wink she
gave me and then she knocked on the door. I wondered where that
wink was last night when Faeth was staring me down. My thoughts
were interrupted by the door clicking open.
I had seen Omi four times, and I hadn’t said a single word to
her. All the sister-queens were beautiful in their own way, and Omi