Blood Kiss

By J.P. Bowie

FROM POPULAR AUTHOR OF LGBT ROMANCE, J.P. BOWIE

Book ten in the My Vampire and I series

What's a guy to do when the right man for him is...a vampire?

Years ago, Daniel Farrow, then only eighteen years old, had a crush on his bright-eyed, blond-haired co-worker Roger Folsom, but Roger disappeared without a trace. Daniel's never forgotten Roger and is delighted when he's given a chance to meet him again.

Although the reunion is a little strained, Daniel is introduced to handsome Leon de Castillo, a man with whom he feels an instant, if slightly mystifying, bond, which only intensifies the more time he spends with the older, elegant Leon.

After spending the night with Leon, Daniel is accosted by a neighbor, Morris, who warns Daniel that Leon is not what he appears to be. Daniel ignores his creepy neighbor, but when Leon's unbelievable secret is revealed, Daniel sees his future with Leon crumble to dust.

Because a relationship between a human and an immortal could never work, could it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Aug 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839430626

J.P. Bowie

J.P. Bowie: I was born and raised in Scotland. Moved to London and worked in several West End shows before immigrating to the United States. First port of call was Las Vegas where I worked backstage with the Siegfried and Roy Show at the Mirage Hotel as Head of Wardrobe for the legendary stars. Another move more recently took me and my husband Phil to San Diego where we intend to stay! Love sunny San Diego.

Book preview

Author

Pride Publishing books by J.P. Bowie

Single Books

The Set Up

Ride ‘em Cowboy

Ride ‘em Again Cowboy

Personal Trainers

Halloween Angel

The Officer and the Gentleman

With a Little Help from My Friends

Blood Relations

Nowhere to Hide

Trip of a Lifetime

A Ghost Story

Happy Ending

A Highlander in LA

Journey to Hope

Paris Connection

All I’ll Ever Need

Every Breath I Take

Highland Hearts

Evan Sent

Fear and Loving in Las Vegas

Breaking the Habit

Fear of Flying

Love on the Rocks

Murder by Design

The Love Between Us

The Journeyer

The Journey Begins

The New World

The Fight for Freedom

Into the West

Hot in the Saddle

Vetting the Cowboy

Teaching the Cowboy

Loving the Cowboy

My Vampire and I

My Vampire and I

My Vampire Lover

Duet in Blood

Blood Resurrection

Bound in Blood

Blood Lure

Blood Lust

Blood Talisman

Blood Vigilance

Anthologies

Fabulous Brits: Under the Law

Naughty Nooners: Lunches in Laguna

Friction: Cruising

Saddle Up ‘N’ Ride: Ride ‘em Hard Cowboy

Promoted by the Billionaire: Fly to Him

Heatwave: Summer Bliss

Collections

Christmas Spirits: A Present Christmas

Homecoming: Blueprint for Love

Yule Be Mine: A Special Christmas

Immortal Love: Night Wing

A Little Bit Cupid: Valentine’s Day Blues

My Vampire and I

BLOOD KISS

J.P. BOWIE

Blood Kiss

ISBN # 978-1-83943-062-6

©Copyright J.P. Bowie 2020

Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright August 2020

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Book ten in the

My Vampire and I series

What’s a guy to do when the right man for him is…a vampire?

Years ago, Daniel Farrow, then only eighteen years old, had a crush on his bright-eyed, blond-haired co-worker Roger Folsom, but Roger disappeared without a trace. Daniel’s never forgotten Roger and is delighted when he’s given a chance to meet him again.

Although the reunion is a little strained, Daniel is introduced to handsome Leon de Castillo, a man with whom he feels an instant, if slightly mystifying, bond, which only intensifies the more time he spends with the older, elegant Leon.

After spending the night with Leon, Daniel is accosted by a neighbor, Morris, who warns Daniel that Leon is not what he appears to be. Daniel ignores his creepy neighbor, but when Leon’s unbelievable secret is revealed, Daniel sees his future with Leon crumble to dust.

Because a relationship between a human and an immortal could never work, could it?

Dedication

Thanks once again to Claire and Rebecca at Pride Publishing for their on-going support and encouragement. And to my readers who have written to let me know how much they have enjoyed the My Vampire and I series. This being the last one leaves me a little sad, but opens opportunities for more paranormal stories, in a new series.

Phil, my hubby, I love you.

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Prius: Toyota Motor Corporation

Dorian Gray: Oscar Wilde

Uber: Uber Technologies, Inc.

Kenneth Cole: Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.

Lestat: Anne Rice

Superman: Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences

Lois Lane: Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences

Prologue

Years ago, I knew a guy called Roger Folsom. We worked together at Barrett’s Bank in West Hollywood and occasionally he and I and some other fellow workers would go for a drink after closing time. I wouldn’t exactly call us friends. Drinking buddies was more like it, although I did crush on him a bit. I knew he had a best friend, Mark. I’d met him a couple of times when he’d stop in at the same bar.

Then one day, Roger disappeared. Of course we were concerned. I must have asked Bert Tomkins, our manager, a dozen times if Roger had ever called. Was he sick? Did someone in his family pass away? Had the police been notified? Had his family been in touch? It seemed strange to me that someone could just disappear like that, but as time went by and there were no reports of his mangled body being found in a ditch, or some other gruesome story, the memory of him faded from most of his co-workers’ minds.

But not mine. Several months later I ran into his friend, Mark, at the local supermarket.

Hey, Mark. Remember me? Daniel Farrow.

He looked at me for several moments before nodding and saying, Oh, hi, Daniel. Yeah, it’s been a while.

After we shot the breeze for a few minutes, I asked the question I figured if anyone knew the answer to, it was probably him.

Do you know what happened to Roger?

He gave me the longest, strangest stare before he abruptly said, Roger who?

Roger who? I stared back at him with wide eyes. Roger who? Roger Folsom, your friend, of course. What other Roger do you know? Well, that was kind of a dumb question. There are other Rogers around of course, and he just might have had more than one friend called Roger.

He gave me a look that I just could not decipher. Dismay, dislike, disinterest, disappointment. It could have been any one of those, but then he turned from me and walked away, his sarcastic words falling heavily on my ears.

I haven’t the foggiest…

I couldn’t believe the callousness of that statement. His best friend and that was all he could say to me? What a jerk. Our meeting bothered me, and continued bothering me for weeks after. I never did see Mark after that encounter, which was just as well, because I had determined that if I did run into the creep again, I’d give him a piece of my mind.

Years passed and I all but forgot about Roger, until one day at the bank where I was now the manager, one of the tellers brought me a check and a question…

Chapter One

Present day

Daniel

Jeffrey, one of my tellers, shrugged apologetically after knocking on the doorframe of my office. I always leave the door open, in part to make sure the employees are doing their job properly, but also to head off any problems that might occur. It is a bank, after all, and in dealing with people’s money, things can get hairy at times.

Hi, sorry, Daniel, the lady at my window doesn’t have an account with us and the check is written on a foreign bank. It’s for five thousand dollars…

I took the check from him and stared at it for a moment or two before recognizing the signature. Roger Folsom. I got up from behind my desk. I’ll handle this, thanks, Jeffrey.

The lady in question turned and smiled at me as I approached her. She was an attractive older woman, her once blonde hair starting to turn gray. I held out my hand. Mrs. Folsom, I’m Daniel Farrow, the manager here. Would you care to step into my office for a few minutes?

Is there something wrong with the check? Roger said I might have to open an account and deposit it. Is that right?

Yes. It is for a rather large amount. I gestured that she should sit, and she did without any sign of reluctance. It’s also written on a Swiss bank account. Do you know the sender?

Oh, yes, it’s from my son, Roger. He lives here in Los Angeles part of the year, but he and his employer travel extensively. I guess he opened a Swiss bank account at some point.

His employer?

Marcus Verano. He’s an Italian financial advisor for some really rich and important people, I believe. Roger is his secretary and traveling companion.

Sounds like a nice job, I said with a pang of envy. What I’d give to have an employer like this Verano guy. I have a feeling that your son worked at this branch several years ago. I’m wondering if he’s the same Roger Folsom.

Mrs. Folsom frowned. He did work in a bank, and you know, it could’ve been this one. Several years ago, I think. Do you remember him?

Yes, if it’s the same Roger. He was the senior teller. He actually trained me when I started at this branch.

Oh, well wait. I have a photo of him in my purse. She rifled through it for a moment or two then produced a wallet and a photograph. This is my Roger.

She said it with pride and I wished my own mother had said those words in the same way, just once. She handed it to me and I could tell it had been taken around the time I’d known Roger. I gazed at the sunny smile on the young man’s face, and said, That’s him, all right. How is he, Mrs. Folsom? He sort of left without saying goodbye. We were concerned for him when he didn’t show up for work. I know it’s a long time ago, but I’d just like to know that he’s okay.

She smiled at me. Oh, yes. He’s very well. I don’t see him very much, but he calls now and then. I expect he’s very busy. The check… She glanced at it still lying in front of me. The check is a gift. My husband died recently…

I’m so sorry—my condolences, Mrs. Folsom.

She nodded. Thank you. Roger couldn’t come for the funeral. The check is to pay for a headstone. He said he will come to see it placed, once I’ve made the arrangements.

I felt a sudden surge of excitement at the thought of Roger being back here in the US. I’d had a crush on him when we worked together, but he’d probably thought I was too young for him. He’d been twenty-four, and I had just turned eighteen and was incredibly shy and into blushing a lot. In addition to me being too young, he’d most likely thought me a bit of a dweeb. I could feel my cheeks heat up, remembering.

"Wh-where was your husband buried? I might like to attend the