Excerpt of Death Defying by Nina Croft

She’d never done this before, but there was a first time for everything. She lowered her lashes and peeped at him through half-closed eyes. Her tongue flicked out, and she moistened her lower lip. His gaze followed the movement, and his eyes darkened.

Good.

She moved a little closer and put her hands in the pockets of her pants pushing her small breasts forward. His gaze dropped.

Even better.

“Callum!” Venna’s tone was impatient, but he waved her away with a careless gesture of his hand, his gaze never leaving Tannis.

“Could I talk to you a minute?” Tannis murmured.

“Of course.”

Her gaze flicked to Venna. “Alone.”

He almost jumped to his feet. “Definitely.”

She pivoted and walked from the room, trying to make her hips sway the way Janey’s always seemed to do. She sensed Callum coming up behind her. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw Venna still seated, her mouth open. Then she dismissed the woman from her mind. Her time would come. Once out of the room, she turned to Callum and placed a hand on his chest. His heart rate was fast beneath her palm.

She leaned in close. “Let’s go to your room,” she whispered the words against his throat, then stepped back and looked up into his face. “Why not yours?” he asked.

“Because yours is nearer.” She stroked her fingertips down his chest and over his belly, to hook in the waistband of his pants. “And I really don’t want to wait.”

His breath caught in his throat with an audible groan. He grabbed hold of her hand and almost dragged her along the corridor. They were at his door in seconds, and he slammed his palm to the panel and hustled her in as the door slid open.

Once inside, he crowded her against the wall so she could feel the cool metal through her shirt at the back, and his hot body pressed the length of her front. She gasped as she felt the hard length of his erection prodding her belly.

“Were you jealous?” he asked, his tone smug.

She had to bite back a bitter laugh at the question. Of course, that’s what the egotistical bastard would think.

“I didn’t like seeing you with her.” Well that was the goddamn truth.

“She’s an employee, that’s all. No need for you to be jealous. It’s you I want.”

“And I want you.” Yeah, she wanted him all right. Wanted him rolling about on the floor in agony.

She reached up and stroked her fingers over the rough skin of his cheek, then curled her hand around his neck and pulled him toward her. Her mouth opened for his kiss and his tongue thrust inside. His lips hardened on hers, deepening the kiss. For a few seconds, she allowed herself to relax against him. Then she took his lower lip between her teeth and bit down hard. The warm, metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth. Callum made to pull away, but she held him tight with the hand at the back of his neck, while she pumped him full of the venom from the glands at the base of her incisors.

He went still, and then the first spasm racked his body. Tannis released her hold and shoved him away. He stumbled as she leaned against the wall to observe. She’d never seen the full effects of her venom before, and she watched with interest.

“What have you—” He broke off as another spasm ran through his body. Swaying, he put out a hand, then stumbled again and gripped onto the back of a nearby chair. His face leached of color, his legs buckled, and he crashed to the floor, dragging the chair with him. He landed on his wings and rolled so he came up on all fours.

His head hung down and he retched, vomiting up a mixture of blood and his stomach contents, and she grimaced.

“Nasty,” she said. “You see, that’s why I didn’t want to go to my room.”