With a smug smile, I caught Nicholas’ eye, and he nodded. Having already found a routine that worked, I walked to the last car, Nicholas’ Suburban. This was the biggest vehicle I had to move, but I knew I could handle it. The last few felt like they weighed no more than a big bag of soil. It was a little awkward for my slight frame to carry such a massive load, but I was definitely strong enough.
Once all the vehicles were out of the garage, Nicholas detailed how he wanted them replaced. I didn’t bother wheeling the two smaller cars this time, just picked them up and carried them to their new places. When all the cars had been tucked away in the garage, I dusted my hands off again and placed them on my hips.
“What else do you have for me?”
He raised an eyebrow at my sass. “Now you’re going to build a house of cards.”
I thought he’d been speaking metaphorically, but when we made it to the living room, I found a stack of playing cards on the coffee table.
“I thought you were kidding,” I said.
He smiled and waved a hand for me to proceed. I sat with my legs folded on the floor and unboxed the cards. The first few packs I accidentally ripped open and understood why he’d gotten so many.
Two hours and countless crumpled playing cards later, I finally had a decent, three-story house of cards. I turned to beam at Nicholas, but he wasn’t sitting behind me anymore. Standing up, I turned in a circle, but he wasn’t in the room with me.
I was about to call out to him when he walked back into the room from the hallway where our bedrooms were. In his hands was a thick cardboard box with a picture of the empire state building on the front.
“What’s this?” I asked when he got closer.
“It’s a 3D puzzle. You built the house of cards faster than I thought you would, so you’re going to do today what I had planned for tomorrow.”
I grinned. I loved puzzles. He placed the box on the table and I immediately opened it and dumped out all the pieces.
Over the course of the next couple of hours, I lost myself in the puzzle. I had to use both my vampire abilities and the more delicate skills I’d learned to build the 3D building. I moved quickly, scanning the pieces and finding what I needed easily. However, using my enhanced speed without crushing the pieces proved to be more difficult than I’d expected.
Fitting the last piece into the puzzle, I stood up and took a look at my work. With a triumphant smile, I turned to find Nicholas watching me with heated eyes. My stomach clenched, and my heart rate sped up.
“What?” I asked, my voice shaking.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he lifted his hand and used his pointer finger to beckon me closer. I took a step toward him, but his finger was still crooked. With a deep breath, I crossed to where he was sitting on the couch, stopping when my knees brushed his.
I looked around, making sure we were truly alone. Nicholas saw my concern. “They’re both out hunting,” he assured me.
Nicholas sat forward, bringing his face level with my stomach. He wrapped both hands around my bare calves and slowly ran his hands up my legs. My breaths were coming out in pants now and I tried desperately to control them. It was almost embarrassing the way he affected me.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said, his voice husky.
His hands reached the hem of my jean shorts and continued up and over my bottom until they reached my top. He gripped my hips under my shirt and slowly dragged the material upward. As soon as my navel was exposed, he leaned in to place soft kisses around it before nipping gently. I gasped softly but stayed where I was. Nothing could have made move at that point.
“How soft your skin is,” he continued.
He kept pulling my shirt up, kissing the skin he exposed. I wove my fingers into his dark hair, my breath coming in short, loud bursts. When he reached the base of my white bra, he paused, both thumbs lightly tracing the lacy cups. His hands left my chest to wrap around my back and he used them to pull me onto his lap.
My knees landed on the couch on either side of his legs. Nicholas brought his hands back to the shirt bunched around my breasts, and with a tug, relieved me of it. He sat there for a moment, rubbing gentle circles on my back between my bra straps and studying my heaving chest.
His eyes met mine as his fingers crept toward the hooks that held my bra in place. He made quick work of undoing them and then slowly slid the straps down my arms. Nicholas’ eyes were still glued to mine, but I felt too exposed. I pulled my hands from his hair and wrapped them around the front of me.
He frowned and gently tugged my arms away from my chest. My hands balled into fists as his eyes slid from my face to my chest. His breath caught in his throat and some of my shyness melted away. No one had ever made me feel as beautiful and desired as he did.
Both of his hands slid back up my sides and slowly crept to my breasts. He cupped their weight gently and slid his thumbs across my nipples. I couldn’t stop the low moan that escaped my throat.
“How sweet you taste,” he whispered, his breath fanning across a tightened nipple.
His breath was replaced by his warm, wet mouth, and I gasped, arching my back. He lapped at the little bud, before sucking it into his mouth and swishing his tongue back and forth. My thoughts were scattered as my brain tried to make sense of the sensations assaulting me.
While Nicholas licked and sucked one nipple, his hand rubbed and pinched the other. When he switched, the cool air swept over the wet bud, adding a new dimension to my pleasure.
Without realizing it, I’d begun to move against him, rolling my hips gently in his lap. He sucked hard, and I ground into him, making us both groan.
I reached forward to stroke his back and decided he was wearing way too many clothes. Tugging on his shirt, I inched the material up until it was bunched below his arms and I could go no further. He realized what I wanted and nipped my breast with his flat front teeth, quick and hard before pulling away and ripping the shirt off. As soon as his shirt was gone, his mouth returned to my nipple and the torturous pleasure continued.
My hands traveled across his broad shoulders to his thick arms. I touched every dip and groove, his skin so soft atop his hard muscles. The juxtaposition drove me crazy. I skimmed my hands down his back, scratching lightly, and heard him groan my name.
With a lightning quick move, Nicholas picked me up off his lap and laid me onto the couch next to him. Before I could blink, he was on top of me, his lips on mine and the proof of his arousal nudging my hip. I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him deeper into the kiss. Our tongues slid and dueled, moving together in toe-curling synchronization.
I pulled my knees up and spread my thighs; Nicholas immediately found his way between them. He ground against me and I bit his lip, careful not to draw blood, before sucking it into my mouth. His hands roamed all over my body, touching and rubbing the exposed flesh. There wasn’t an inch of my upper body that hadn’t been treated to Nicholas’ expert touch.
His big hands drifted down my stomach, meeting the waist of my jean shorts. There was a quick moment of indecision on my part. Were we moving too fast?
A ringing noise cut through the gasps and pants in the room, and we reluctantly parted. I looked at him questioningly, and for a moment he seemed to be confused by the sound as well. With a shake of his head, he leaned back and reached into the front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a sleek black phone, the ringing sound louder than before.
His brows furrowed, and he wiped a hand down his face before sliding his finger across the screen.
“Hello?” His voice was gruff, and I bit back a smile.
Then I remembered I was naked from the waist up and quickly crossed my arms over my chest. Nicholas saw my quick movements and frowned at me.
The voice on the other line spoke and his eyes grew unfocused. “Yes, this is.”
The voice spoke again, and Nicholas’ eyebrows bunched together. He climbed off me and stood next to the couch.
“
When did this happen?” His voice was quiet and angry, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“Don’t call the authorities yet, I’m on my way.”
He hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket. His hands reached up to run violently through his hair and he growled. He looked around the room quickly, and when his eyes landed on me they softened.
“We need to go,” he said.
I sat up, my arms wrapped around my chest. “Go? Where?”
He stalked around the room, rounding up our clothes, and laid my bra and shirt in my lap.
Nicholas cupped his hands around my face and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Get dressed. We’re going home.” With that, he shrugged on his own shirt and stalked from the room.
I speedily dressed and followed him down the hall into his room. Not bothering to knock, I walked in to see him zipping around, tossing clothes into a suitcase sitting on his bed.
“Nicholas,” I called. When he finally stopped to look at me I continued, “You need to tell me what’s going on. Who just called you?”
He ran another frustrated hand through his hair and it landed on the back of his neck. “That was the superintendent. Someone broke into our apartment.”
His words echoed through my head. “Broke in? Did they steal anything?” What other reason was there for breaking and entering?
“He said it didn’t look like it, but he didn’t want to compromise the scene. He’s waiting until we get there.”
“Why would someone break in and not steal anything?”
He walked over and gripped my shoulders. “I don’t know yet, Adrienne. I just need you to go pack your things, so we can get back to the city and find out what happened.”
I didn't know when my body began to shake, only that Nicholas needed to pull me into his arms and rub my back before the trembling subsided.
“Adrienne, no matter what, I promise you’ll be safe. I will not let anything happen to you, okay?”
I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my racing heart and nodded. “Okay.”
“Now go get packed and let’s get on the road. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can figure this all out.”
Chapter 15
The drive back to Manhattan was starkly different than the ride upstate. There was no music or singing, no light-hearted banter, and Nicholas drove so fast we made the trip in half the time.
When we reached his apartment, he pulled into a garage I’d never been in before. Once we were parked, he led me to the elevator, and we rode it up to the lobby.
The doors opened to reveal three human men all huddled together with worried looks on their faces. The elevator noises announced our arrival, and the group of men broke apart. One of them, a man with thick white hair and a matching mustache, left the group and walked toward us.
“Mr. Talbot.” He greeted Nicholas solemnly, his hand outstretched. “I’m sorry our phone call cut your vacation short, but I knew you’d want to be informed.”
Nicholas shook the man’s hand, a grim expression marring his pale face. “Thank you, Rob. You did the right thing. Tell me everything you know.”
Rob turned to wave over a short, pudgy man before speaking. “This is Scotty. He’s our overnight doorman.”
Nicholas nodded in greeting.
“Scotty, tell them what you told me,” Rob urged.
The short man wrung his hands together in obvious discomfort, his eyes flicking between mine and Nicholas’. “A few days ago, a man came in asking about a woman matching her description.” He pointed at me. “I thought I knew who he meant, but I told him I wasn’t able to give out any personal information about our residents. He didn’t seem too happy with my answer, but I guess he left after that because I don’t remember seeing him again…” Scotty drifted off, seemingly lost in thought.
“I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but a few hours ago, one of our residents came downstairs and reported seeing a problem with your door. Apparently, he hit the wrong button and wound up on your floor. I went up there myself to check it out and saw your apartment door was ajar. When I got closer, I realized it had been ripped from the hinges and was resting in the doorframe. I left it alone and called my boss.”
Rob picked up the story at this point. “When I got the call, I went up to take a look for myself. I checked every room but made sure not to disturb anything. Whoever did this was long gone by the time I got there.”
Nicholas remained quiet, but I saw the anger simmering beneath the surface. His hands fisted, and his shoulders tensed beneath his black t-shirt. With his jaw clenched so tight I was surprised he could still speak. “The man who asked about Adrienne, do you remember what he looked like?”
Scotty’s brow furrowed, and his lips pinched. “Um… no. I don’t. I think he was tall?”
Nicholas sighed in resignation and clasped the pudgy man’s shoulder. “It’s all right, Scotty. Could you contact a cleaning crew and a contractor and have them in here tomorrow morning?”
The doorman looked relieved to be given a task. “I’d be happy to, sir,” he said before scuttling away.
Nicholas turned to the superintendent. “Thanks for keeping this quiet, Rob. Let me get in there and make a few phone calls before we involve the authorities.”
Rob nodded in agreement. “It’s your call, Mr. Talbot. We’ll take care of the clean-up and any repairs necessary. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”
Nicholas nodded at the man before grasping my elbow and propelling me back toward the elevators. When the doors opened, Nicholas led me inside before retrieving his cell and pulling up his texting app. His fingers raced across the screen too fast for me to follow from where I stood.
I was still processing everything that had happened in the past few hours. The drive here had given me plenty of time to think and my thoughts all pointed to one suspect: my maker. I knew in the pit of my stomach he was responsible for this. He was still looking for me and he’d finally found my home. Nowhere was safe from him. He’d keep coming and coming until he found me.
My breaths were escaping my lungs fast and heavy when Nicholas wrapped his arms around me.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I won’t lie to you. There’s a good chance the vampire who changed you and assaulted your friend is also the one to blame for this break-in. We will go in, gather any belongings we might need for the next couple of nights, and then we’re going to stay in a hotel I just booked for us.” I pulled away to look up at him. His tone was cheery, but the strained lines around his eyes told me the truth. He was just as stressed about this as I was.
The elevator doors opened, and we exited to the hallway. Our apartment was directly across from the elevator and I saw from where I stood that the door was propped up like the doorman had described. The jagged splinters of wood proved it had indeed been ripped off its hinges. My heart raced as I followed Nicholas.
He pulled the door out of the frame and set it aside. I shadowed him into the apartment, peeking over his shoulder to view the foyer. Everything looked just as we’d left it and I breathed a sigh of relief.
We walked through the marbled entry toward the living room and I held my breath, bracing myself for the worst. Once again, the room looked completely untouched. With a frown, I passed Nicholas to take a look in the kitchen. Not even a stool out of place.
I walked back into the living room to see Nicholas had climbed the stairs to the second floor and was peering in our room. When I got closer, I saw the stiffness in his back and shoulders and prepared myself. Something was definitely wrong.
I moved to step around him, but he blocked my path with his strong forearm. “No, Adrienne. You don’t want to go in there.”
“Why the hell not?”
He turned, and the look on his face had my stomach plummeting to my feet.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
Nicholas placed his hands on my shoulders and gave a little shove to turn me
away. “Don’t go in there.”
Of course, since he didn’t want me in there, there was nothing I wanted more.
“Why?” I strained on my tiptoes trying to look over his shoulder.
“It’s nothing you need to see. Let me get a clean-up crew in here and we’ll get you a new bed, no problem–”
“A new bed? What’s wrong with my old one?” The look on his face was full of regret and chagrin. He’d let slip something he hadn't meant to.
“Nicholas, I’m going in there.” I shook off his hold and stalked past him.
With my hands on my hips, I surveyed the room, looking for what had Nicholas so upset. His bed was there, the dark red sheets perfectly made and tucked in on both sides. My eyes roved over the furniture, his black and mine white. Nothing seemed amiss. I stepped farther in, and even with the lights off, I finally saw what had prompted Nicholas to try to keep me out of there.
On the opposite side of the room was the first hint that an intruder had been in our apartment. My bed looked like a wild animal had attacked it. The white gauzy material was ripped from the canopy and only one of the four posts remained standing. When I walked across the room, I saw there were multiple gouges ripped into the mattress, so deep that the springs were visible. There was foam and cloth littered all over the top of the king-sized bed. My pillows were shredded, and the sheets had been torn into strips. The anger with which my bed had been destroyed shook me to my core.
“Why?” I squeaked out when I finally found my voice.
Gentle hands settled on my hips, and I jumped at the contact. I turned around abruptly to find Nicholas with his hands in the air and a sorrowful look on his face. Steeling myself, I straightened my spine and looked him in the eye. “Could I have a moment alone?”
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