Fireworks for July: A Holiday Bites Vampire Paranormal Holiday Romances Read Free Page A

magic.”
    “Magic?” She couldn’t keep the cynicism out of her tone.
    “Yes.” His left eyebrow quirked. “Don’t you believe in magic?”
    She laughed. “Maybe I believe in Vegas magic.”
    “That’s good enough.” He shook the concoction. Opening the top, he strained the drink over a glass filled with ice. He added a cherry then slid the beverage to her.
    July sipped the liquid, which tasted tangy-sweet and strangely smoky. Lip-smacking good. Before she knew it, the cocktail was gone. The cherry sat forlornly among the ice cubes. Carter plucked it from the glass.
    He traced her lips with the sticky sweet fruit then laid it on her tongue. She closed her mouth and he pulled the stem out. As she chewed, he watched her, his gaze dark and hot.
    “You’re radioactive, baby,” he said.
    “Um, thank you?”
    “I mean you’re exciting. Beautiful. I dig you.”
    “I dig you, too.” She opened her purse and glanced at her smartphone’s display. “Thank you for the drink, Carter,” she said, reluctant to leave. “I have reservations at Joy.”
    “Maybe I’ll see you again.”
    She smiled. “I hope so.”

    “ W hat do you mean , you don’t have my reservation?” asked July. “It’s part of my package. See?” She held up the itinerary.
    The hostess, a pretty girl with a vapid gaze, smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Miss Ellsworth, but I don’t have a reservation for you at all, not today, yesterday, or tomorrow. Would you like to make one now?” She paged through the oversized datebook. “We have an opening in three weeks. Shall I put you down for Saturday at seven p.m.?”
    “No,” said July. “I want my reservation—the one for tonight. I’m only in town for the weekend.”
    “Ma’am, please.” She sighed, her ice-blue eyes going polite and cold. “Joy is a very popular restaurant. That’s why we ask patrons to make reservations.”
    “I did.” July lifted the page once again. “Would you like to read it? Or do words confuse you?”
    “Wrong name,” said a familiar voice. “Try Mattison. Party of two.”
    July turned and stared at Carter. “You weren’t kidding about seeing me later. But I didn’t know you meant five minutes.”
    “I needed your sunshine, doll.”
    “This way, Mr. Mattison,” said the bedazzled hostess. Her smile turned warm and inviting. “Or would you like to wait for the other person in your party?”
    “She’s already here,” said Carter, tugging on July’s brunette curls. “Isn’t that right, July?”
    “Yes.” She beamed at the hostess, who seemed to deflate when she realized Carter was claiming July for his date.
    Carter draped his arm around July’s shoulder and gave her a light kiss. His lips were soft and warm as they pressed against her mouth. Her heart jumped in her chest. No doubt whatsoever she was crazy attracted to him.
    After they were seated, Carter ordered champagne. The waiter brought a bottle in an ice bucket along with crusty brown bread and butter. After they placed their orders—rare steak for him and lobster for her—July felt at a loss.
    “How did it go at the … you-know store?”
    “The you-know store? Oh. Oh. ” July focused intently on buttering a slice of bread. “It went well. Fine. Good. So good.”
    “I saw the toy,” Carter teased. “When you opened your purse at the bar, I couldn’t help but notice.”
    The knife clattered to the bread plate, and July felt her face go flaming hot.
    “Don’t be embarrassed, July. Experiencing sexual pleasure is one of the privileges of being human.”
    July barely worked up the courage to look at Carter. She saw no judgment in his gaze, and his expression let her know he was very interested in her sexual pleasure. She pressed a hand against her agitating stomach. Oh, dear. Was that the sound of her panties dropping?
    “You could try it out.”
    July cleared her throat. “I plan to, thank you.”
    “I meant now.”
    “What?”
    “Go to the ladies room and put