by Renee Rose
She reaches for my face and presses her lips to mine. A tear slips down her cheek and anoints our kiss. Forehead to mine, she swallows, as if trying to work through the lump in her throat. “I don’t deserve you, or anything you’re doing for me. But I can’t say I don’t appreciate it with all my heart.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel about it, I’m afraid I’m not going to trust your judgement anymore.”
Her eyebrows pinch over her nose in confusion.
“You don’t seem a to be good judge of what you deserve. So you’re just going to have to trust me when I say I know you deserve our protection.” She opens her mouth, but I touch my finger to her lips. “Don’t argue with me.”
Her hooded eyes grow dark with desire. “You know, I love it when you take charge.”
I huff and smile. “Then gather your things and meet me by the bar.”
She grins and says the two words I always ache to hear from her lips. “Yes, Sir.”
Chapter 7
Theo exits the room, and I jump to pack my things in my overnight bag. I don’t know what the hell I did to deserve his help, but right now, I’m desperate enough to accept what he is so graciously offering. But I’m also going to do everything I can to keep him from getting hurt.
I’m beginning to agree with Zoe. The wonderful men in our lives are getting a lot of baggage by bringing us into theirs. If the police haven’t been able to stop Phil from his perverted human-trafficking practices, what are some club employees going to do? What interest do they have in paying people off with what would probably take thousands of dollars to make a problem like this go away? No one is that generous. Not even Theo.
As instructed, I meet him by the bar, where he’s chatting with Roxy and Maximus.
“Ready, cupcake?” He grins.
I nod and follow him out the back door of the club, where he escorts me to his…oh my God… a Maserati. He guides me into the passenger seat, and I’m in awe. Theo situates himself behind the wheel with a smirk on his lips. With a press of a button and a firm hand on the stick shift, he navigates out of Toxic’s parking lot and we’re on the road.
My phone buzzes in my purse. It might be Zoe, giving me an update.
I tap the screen to life, and my heart hammers in my throat.
Any news for me, mon chaton?
My hands shake as I stare at the screen.
“Is something wrong?” Theo frowns.
“Huh?” I notice we’ve halted at a stop sign, and shove my phone back into my purse. “Nope. Just a Twitter notification.”
He directs his attention back to the road and shifts the car into gear. “Phil doesn’t have your number, does he?”
“No. No.”
He pats my thigh. “You just seem a little jittery.”
“I am. This guy is pretty scary. Zoe and I have had to move twice because of him. Because he hadn’t bothered us in almost two years, we thought we’d finally got rid of him. Somehow, he just keeps finding her.”
“Give us a chance to look into some things. We’ll keep you and Zoe safe in the meantime. You have my word.”
“I really hate to get you in the middle of this. Phil has a lot of money, and the law doesn’t seem to protect victims against people like him.”
“I understand. Just give me time.”
I nod and direct my gaze out the window to avoid having to look at this well-intentioned man wrecking my heart. My eyes widen as I take in the scenery. The desert landscape is decorated with million-dollar homes, high walls, and expensive cars like Theo’s. Gated properties and fantastic views of the mountains pan by as we continue through an expensive neighborhood.
Theo reaches for the remote clipped to his visor, and the headlights glare against an elegant wrought-iron gate of vine scrollwork and scorched wood.
Holy shit. He lives here?
The long, stone-paved driveway in terracotta hues takes a winding path through what has to be ten acres of land. We cross over a stone bridge, and on the hill before us is a house that can’t cost less than two- or three-million dollars. He pulls up next to a Cadillac SUV in front of the four-car garage and kills the engine.
“Looks like Alex beat us here.” Theo grins and steps out of his Maserati.
I’m still gawking at the contemporary Mediterranean house with cream stone and tan stucco finishes, and impeccable landscaping of desert plants and flowers in marble Roman-style pots.
The passenger door opens and Theo extends his hand. “Come on. The luster of the house will wear off when you take a tour.”
I scoff and take his proffered hand. “Yeah, I doubt that.” I shake my head. “Theo, this is a mansion, not a house.”
He chuckles and puts his arm around me. “I like to call it home.”
He escorts me toward the massive square entryway with a curved stone arch, and on to the glass and oil-rubbed bronze front door, scrollwork matching the design of the front gate. Inserting his key, he lets us in, and I can’t help but gawk at the travertine tiles in a diamond pattern and the huge stone columns framing the archway into a living room ahead with a fireplace.
“Alex?” Theo tucks his keys into his pocket and wheels my overnight case to the couch, dropping my laptop bag beside it.
“In the kitchen!”
A few steps to my left reveals Alex carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and a block of hard cheese in the other.
“Um, those happen to be the staples of my diet you have there.” I stroll into a kitchen the size of the living room in the townhouse I share with Zoe, but a helluva lot more elegant. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and an island as the centerpiece. The graceful Alexander stalks toward me with a wicked glint in his eyes.
He dips for a kiss. “Are you hungry, cupcake?”
“Definitely!” I take a seat at the breakfast bar.
Theo grabs a marble cheeseboard with a wire cutting handle and puts it on the counter in front of Alex. As Alex unwraps the wedge of parmesan, Theo reaches into a cabinet and grabs three wine glasses. The two are in perfect harmony as they get our refreshments together, and I rest my chin in my hand to enjoy the view. “You two fit together like coffee and cream. Like yin and yang.”
Alex smirks, and Theo raises his eyebrow at me. His sky-blue gaze regards me and then Alex before he pops the cork on the wine. I’m guessing Theo might still be hurting from Alex’s breakup, but it also seems like he might be coming around. Alex wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t, right? Maybe I just need to give them a tiny shove because I do love to see them together.
Theo raises the bottle. “Sweet Riesling, right?”
A grin spreads across my face. “Yes! How did you know?”
“Isn’t that what you always order at the club?” He pours the golden vintage and hands me the glass.
My cheeks heat and I nod. “I’m flattered you paid attention.”
Alex inhales a breath through his teeth, hissing. “Dear Lord, Theo. Will you do that to her again?”
“What?” My eyes dart between them.
Theo chuckles and saunters to my side, his own glass in hand. “I think he’s talking about you blushing.” He nibbles at my bottom lip. “You’re all strawberries and cream when your cheeks are red.”
Alex purrs. “Especially her ass cheeks when you spank her.” He waggles his eyebrows.
They make it very easy to forget the rest of the world. “I love it when you two talk dirty.”
Alex laughs and snatches up his own wine and holds it high. “Here’s to red cheeks and talking dirty, then.”
Our laughter mingles with the clinking of toasting glasses.
Picking up the plate of cheese, I pad out of the kitchen and call over my shoulder, “Let’s take this to the bedroom, shall we?” I scamper ahead, looking for what I thought was a bedroom when we walked through the front door.
Theo groans. “Although I would love another round in bed with you two, I don’t know if we have the time.”
“I’m inclin
ed to agree with you,” Alex says. “I think you two wore me out.”
So much for trying to give them a little shove. Of course, the master bedroom is just as enthralling as the kitchen—wide, tastefully decorated in earthy old-world European décor and furnishings. There’s a master bath as massive as the bedroom, and two walk-in closets. My head is still spinning by the time I sit on the loveseat in front of the fireplace.
Alex sits next to me and drapes his arm along the back of the short couch. There’s an appreciative twinkle in his eyes, and he kisses my brow.
“I wanted us to be more comfortable, that’s all.” Maybe I can tempt them under subtle pretenses.
Alex sips his wine and reaches for a piece of cheese, which he feeds me.
Theo wheels my overnight bag into the bedroom with my laptop case on his shoulder. He sets them beside the bed and then sits on the other side of me, nestling close. “Listen, pet, Alex and I will be gone for the day, so you’ll have the house to yourself.”
“Gone?” I speak around the food in my mouth.
“Yes. I told you, we have some people looking into this situation with Zoe’s stalker.”
“And when do you two plan on sleeping?” I direct my frown from one to the other.
They exchange a glance I can’t quite read, but Theo pats my thigh. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll get some sleep later today, but don’t plan on seeing us until after sundown.”
“Sundown?” I don’t like this at all. “I wanted to snuggle in bed with you two all day.” I tug Theo’s collar and pull him toward me for a kiss. Groping behind me, I grab Alex’s hand and place it on my breast.
Theo groans against my mouth. “We’ll get to spend more time with each other once we get settled in, but in the meantime, Alex and I have a lot of running around to do.”
Alex nuzzles my neck. “That’s right, cupcake. As tempting as your offer is, we can’t stay today.”
“Take advantage of my home, and relax.” Theo caresses my cheek. “No one knows you’re here. Use the pool, the Jacuzzi. I have a room with a gym, if you want to use up some of that energy you always have. I have Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, a mound of DVDs and a library. Alex has stocked the fridge for you, so please help yourself to anything and make yourself at home.”
“All right, fine.” I touch my forehead to his and pout.
He chuckles. “Believe you me, I want nothing better than to spend the day in bed with you, and that will happen. Just not today.” Theo finishes his wine and pops another sliver of cheese into his mouth before standing. “Sleep here in the master bedroom.”
Alex rises and sets his empty glass on the coffee table. “I cleared out that top drawer of the dresser there for her, is that okay?”
“Perfect. Thank you.” Theo plants a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m serious. Make yourself at home, and get some rest.” But his blue gaze grows severe as he pulls me to my feet and holds my head in his hands. “No one is expected here today. Do not open the door for anyone for any reason. And don’t go anywhere. It will only be a day.”
I nod. “All right.”
Alex nuzzles my ear. “Rest well, cupcake.”
I wrap my arms around their waists and pull them close. With our three bodies facing each other, a cocoon of safety engulfs me. I kiss them both. “Thank you again.”
“Of course.” Theo taps my nose with his lips, and Alex gives me the same endearment.
And before I know it, they’re both out the door, saying their last goodbyes and wishing me well, encouraging me to spoil myself for the day. I settle back in front of the fireplace, sipping my wine and nibbling on my cheese, missing them already.
I climb into the passenger side of Theo’s Maserati as he slips into the driver’s seat. “Okay, now what?”
Theo starts the car and swings his arm behind my seat as he backs out of the drive. “Now, we take a tour of my property to the exterior entrance of my lair.” He faces forward and shifts the car into first gear. “She’s hiding something.”
“What do you mean?” I examine the furrow on his brow.
He turns left onto the street bordering the property. “On the way over here, her phone buzzed, as if she received a text message or notification. But as soon as she read it, her heartbeat increased and her hands were shaking. When I asked her if everything was okay, she lied and said it was just a Twitter notification.” He makes another left and approaches a gate, clicking the remote on his visor.
“Why wouldn’t she tell you if something was wrong?”
The gate closes behind us and Theo steers the car down a narrow, paved road. “I don’t know. She might not want to worry me.”
“She definitely seems the type. She’s very fond of you, you know.”
Theo’s frown softens. “Yes, I know. Obviously, I’m very fond of her, too.”
The road ends at what seems like a garage door in the side of the hill. He presses another button inside the glove compartment, and the door whines as it rolls up.
“And what do you think of her?” He leans against his door, angling his curious gaze at me as we wait for it to open.
“I can easily see myself falling for her.” I smirk.
“Yes. She is very addictive, isn’t she?”
“Good God, Theo. She’s ambrosia. She’s feisty and submissive. She’s a strong woman, but also very vulnerable.”
The corner of his mouth curls upward. “Indeed.”
Easing off the brake, he coasts the vehicle into the garage and taps the button in the glovebox. As we both exit the car, the garage door rolls down, closing out the stretch of desert behind us.
Theo punches in a code next to a steel door, which beeps and clicks. He yanks the handle and, once we’re inside, he lays his thumbprint against a glass square in the wall, taps a few more keys and the door thunks behind us, with what I assume is a sturdy deadbolt. Infrared light illuminates the long brick passage, which seems to lead farther inside the earth.
“Nice hideaway.” I follow behind him at his determined pace.
“I normally go in through a secret door I have in the house.”
“I’m assuming this is your escape route in case your home is compromised?”
“Yes.” Theo stops at the end of the passage, enters more codes and a thumbprint to get us through this door, and lights flicker to life inside an elegant living space.
I nod appreciatively. “Very nice. Looks like a luxury bunker.”
He scoffs. “You know me, I like nice things, as well as practicality.”
“Yes, I know you.” I stroll behind him and my heartrate increases as I see him suppress a grin.
“Dawn is still another thirty minutes or so away, but I want to send some emails, reach out to Slash, our vampire hacker. Do a little thinking.”
“Understood.”
He shows me his bedroom, with a California king-size bed, a fireplace, a desk with a laptop, and a wet bar. He clicks a remote on the mantle of the fireplace, where gas flames burn artificial logs, setting a soothing mood. I pour us some brandy into a couple of snifters and set one on the corner of his desk. Taking up a cushioned chair, I relax before the hearth and warm the liquor with my hand, swirling it around the glass as I stare at the flames.
The tapping of his keyboard is hypnotic and I remain silent to let him work. Being ten times my age, he’ll stay up longer than I can. I’m only two-hundred-and-seven years old. I drop my head back and close my eyes, savoring the flavor of brandy on my tongue and the memories of making love to Theo and Karina.
I hated leaving her behind in that house alone. Especially when I saw what she was trying to do—push Theo and me together. First, by trying to highlight how good we looked as a pair, then by trying to encourage more intimate time with each other. It might have worked if the daylight wasn’t keeping us apart.
And that, of course, brings a glaring flaw to this union between the three of us.
She is a fragile little mortal.
We are vampires.<
br />
As I sip the brandy, I study Theo’s handsome face, creased with concentration under the glow of his monitor. And I realize that though Karina’s mortality makes her so frail, I fear the hearts that will suffer the most are mine and Theo’s when we have to let her go.
Chapter 8
The twitter of an annoying digital tune invades the bliss of my dreams. Although I try to ignore it and go back to the visions of making love to Theo and Alexander, the incessant music won’t let up. I squint and peek through my lids. Sunlight slices across the expansive bed where my legs are tangled in the sheets and a comforter.
Slapping my hand to the nightstand, I grab my offending smartphone and blink at the screen. Zoe.
I tap the blurry answer icon. “Hello?”
“Rina?” Zoe sniffles on her end of the call.
The fear in her voice sends a bolt of energy through my limbs and I sit upright, struggling to see through the haze of sleep. “Are you okay? What’s the matter?”
“I think Phil found me.”
“You mean at Armando’s?” I grind the heel of my hand against my eye. How the fuck is this guy tracking her?
“Yes, and Armando isn’t here. He said he’d be back around sunset.”
I glance at the digital clock on the nightstand—4:31 p.m. Shit. I slept in later than I anticipated.
“That’s weird. Theo and Alex told me the same thing. But that makes sense. They’re working together to clear this shit up with Phil. I don’t know if they’re going to be fast enough, though. You know how long legal proceedings can take. We may have to find a place to lie low until—”
“I don’t want to get Armando in the middle of this.” The pitch of her voice rises with each word. “If Armando gets hurt, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“This isn’t your fault, Zoe. Don’t start blaming yourself.”
“I can’t stay here.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I feel the same way about Theo and Alex. They’re trying to help, but they don’t owe me anything. Going against Phil in court is going to take a shit-ton of money and time, and I don’t feel right about any of this.”
