by Elisa Adams
“No. I’ll come. I said I would. You’ve definitely aroused my curiosity.”
“Is that all I’ve aroused?”
She hesitated before she answered. “No. It’s not. I’ll let you know as soon as I make travel arrangements. You’re going to have to pick me up at the airport.”
“Fine. I’ll talk to you later.”
He hung up the phone and flopped back on the mattress, hard and horny and wondering if he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life.
Chapter Four
“So where are you headed?”
Merida glanced at the hefty, balding man in the seat next to her. For hours, he’d slept, snoring noisily and drooling on the lapels of his suit jacket. Now, as the plane started its descent into Burlington, he expected to make conversation? Not likely. “Vermont.”
He blinked at her, before he started laughing. “I kinda figured that.”
She leaned back in her seat and let her eyelids close, rolling her eyes beneath them. Was this guy for real? Did he really think she’d be talking to him at all if they weren’t stuck on an airplane? With her mind focused on possible solutions to Royce’s friend’s problem, she didn’t have time for idle chatter. “I’m visiting a friend.”
If she could even call him that. They hadn’t parted ways on friendly terms. They might have—if she hadn’t been scared and run off. But in the end, she knew she’d done the right thing. It never would have worked out between them. She had no desire to be the timid, accommodating woman he expected, and he’d never be able to live with her strong personality. They’d had one incredible night in bed. Nothing more. The rest of the time they’d spent with each other, she’d wanted to strangle him for his chauvinistic attitude and practiced arrogance. There was more to Royce than what he let the world see, but she didn’t have the time or the inclination to go digging below the surface.
“A boyfriend?” the man asked, yanking her from her thoughts.
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Yes.”
The man blinked hard, his eyes widening as he turned his attention to a magazine he pulled out of the seat pocket in front of him. She bit her lip to hold back a laugh, glad she didn’t have to use stronger methods than a glare to dissuade his attentions. He left her alone as the plane landed and taxied to the gate. As soon as they were able to disembark, he gave her a wilting look, grabbed his carry-on bag, and took off down the aisle.
“Good riddance,” she mumbled as she picked up her own bag and followed toward the gateway.
Unease twisted her insides as she thought about seeing Royce again. Working with him wouldn’t be easy—she had too many emotions tied up in it. She didn’t know why she’d accepted his offer, when she could have easily passed it off to her brother, or anyone else without such a high emotional stake in the situation. But she hadn’t. She’d accepted an offer she suspected hadn’t been made with solely business in mind, and now she had to deal with the consequences.
She made her way through the terminal to the baggage claim area, where she’d agreed to meet Royce. Pushing through the throng of people waiting for their luggage, she finally located her single black suitcase and pulled it off the moving belt. She scanned the crowd for a big, obnoxious vampire, but only found anonymous obnoxious humans. Had he changed his mind? It would be just her luck to be stuck in Vermont. She started walking toward the glass doors that led outside—and then she saw him and her heart thudded to a stop in her chest. Did any man have a right to be so damned sexy?
“The man is a jerk. A sexy jerk,” she muttered to herself as she walked across the carpet toward the door. “But still…a jerk is a jerk, no matter how enticing the package.”
A shiver ran through her as she remembered how enticing his package really was.
He stood just outside the glass doors, leaning against a cement support beam, his hands in the pockets of his black cargo pants. A long-sleeved black shirt at least a size too small stretched across his big chest and shoulders. Her mouth watered and she had to force herself to keep walking in his direction. The visual stunned her, as it had every time before. He looked just as she remembered—but something seemed different.
She realized what it was when she stepped out of the terminal and into the noisy pick-up area outside. He’d cut his hair. His dark blond locks, which before had been long enough to brush the center of his back, now didn’t even touch his shoulders. The cut was short and a little mussed, left long enough on top for a few locks to hang to his eyebrows. It made him look younger, more dangerous, and utterly amazing.
His icy blue gaze snagged hers, telling her he knew what she’d been thinking. One corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile as she approached and she had to look away to keep from stumbling. She stopped in front of him, trying her hardest to remain in control of her willpower. The things she wanted to do to him…she brushed the thoughts off with a groan. He didn’t say a word, just arched a single blond brow and snorted.
“Good to see you, too, Cardoso.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile widened. “You look…tan.”
She glanced down at her sun-browned arms, bared to her shoulders thanks to her sleeveless red t-shirt. “Spending hours upon hours in the sun will do that to a person. Oh, wait. You wouldn’t know that, would you? I was beginning to wonder—I mean hope—you’d lost your voice.”
“You’re not that lucky, kitty.” He bent to take her suitcase from her but she yanked it out of his reach. She didn’t need a man to do anything for her, let alone carry a little bag or two.
“I’ve got this.”
He paused and frowned at her, amusement sparkling just beneath the annoyance in his gaze. “Do you have something in here you don’t want me to see?”
“No. I can handle my own bags. I can take down a three hundred pound man without breaking a sweat. I think I can manage a couple of little bags.”
“Suit yourself.” He pushed himself off the support beam and walked away, leaving her to stand there or follow. As much as she wanted to walk back into the terminal and get on a plane back to Florida, she hurried after him.
No way in hell would she let that infuriating man get the last word.
* * * * *
Merida tapped her fingernails on the center console, watching the scenery flash by out the passenger side window in Royce’s car. The moon lit the quiet country roads and stars filled the sky. Hardly any other cars were on the road, and it seemed like they had the night to themselves. Too bad he couldn’t even be bothered to speak to her. In the hour they’d been in the car, he hadn’t said a word. He hadn’t even looked at her, let alone speak to her, and the music he chose to play on the radio gave her a headache. She drew a deep breath, her lungs filling with the clean, masculine scent that made her panties damp. She’d been wound tight since she’d first seen him again and she had to fight to keep from snapping.
She glanced at him, taking in the strong lines of his profile. She wanted to run her finger along the stubble lining his jaw. “So, what have you been up to?”
He didn’t even look at her when he responded. “You know. The usual.”
As if the man had a usual. She narrowed her eyes. Would it kill him to speak civilly to her? How did he expect them to work together when he wouldn’t even look at her? Sick of his silent treatment, she clenched her hands and glared at him. “So, what? You’ve been sleeping with a different woman every night, walking away before sunup, moving from place to place so you don’t have to worry about getting close to anyone. Putting down anyone who isn’t up to your insanely high standards?”
She expected some kind of denial, or even anger, but his actions took her by surprise. He pulled the car over to the side of the rural road and slammed it into park. She blinked a few times when he turned his icy gaze on her.
“What’s all that supposed to mean?”
Thick tension radiated from him, almost a tangible thing in the charged air. If she didn’t backpedal…well, she didn’t even
want to think about what his reaction might be. She was strong, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but she didn’t doubt they were equally matched in the strength department. “Relax. I wasn’t trying to insult you.”
He shook his head, a humorless smile forming on his lips. “Yes, you were. You think you know me? Kitty cat, you have no idea who I really am.”
Oh, boy. She took a deep breath, her own energy feeding off the anger he emitted. Her body tensed for the fight she felt in the air, her breath coming in quick gasps and her muscles tightening. A Panthicenos threatened wasn’t a pretty sight—especially a female who spent the better part of her life proving to the men around her she could do anything as well as they could. The man drove her crazy, in so many ways, that she couldn’t even think straight around him. She closed her eyes and turned back toward the window, determined not to start something she had no intention of finishing. He didn’t seem to want to give her the option to back away.
He grabbed her chin with his big, hot fingers and turned her face back to him. “Unless you know what you’re talking about, kitty, I suggest you keep that pretty mouth shut.”
She didn’t know which offended her more—his domineering attitude or the crack about her mouth. She shoved his hand away, anger spiking inside her. “Excuse me. I would have thought you’d be grateful that I came up here to Nowheresville to help you with this. If you can’t handle my being here, I suggest you take me right back to the airport. I’d be glad to get the first plane back to Florida and continue my life without the interference of annoying vampires who—”
“Shut up for a second, will you? You’re driving me crazy.” He didn’t give her a chance to react, let alone object, before he crushed her lips with his own.
Any thought of pushing him away fled as he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue and pushed his way inside. She braced her hands against his shoulders, digging her nails into his shirt. As much as she couldn’t stand him, she couldn’t deny the powerful physical attraction between them. Even after nearly a year’s separation, it hadn’t diminished an ounce.
His hand came to the back of her neck and his fingers tangled in her hair. A shiver skimmed the length of her spine. Her panties dampened from just the touch of his mouth. It didn’t help that she knew exactly how well they fit together, at least in the physical sense. His big hand rested on her thigh, nudging her legs apart. Her willpower fading fast, she let them open and held tighter to his shoulders.
His fingers brushed her mound through the fabric of her pants and she whimpered. Royce tilted her head back further to deepen the kiss while he strengthened his touch, pressing his fingertips over her clit and circling softly. She moaned. It would be so easy—too easy—to take her clothes off and ride him right in the seat of the car. She wanted that almost as much as she wanted her next breath, but she couldn’t let it happen, not if she wanted any hope of retaining her sanity.
She pulled away from him and leaned against the passenger-side door. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He slumped into his own seat and slapped his hands down on his thighs as a harsh breath escaped his lips. “I have absolutely no idea. Lack of sleep, probably.” He put the car back in drive and pulled away from the side of the road without any more explanation.
She stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, taking in his reddened face, set jaw, and tense shoulders. Her gaze dropped to his lap and the huge bulge of his erection against the front of his pants. She licked her lips. The chemistry between them shook him as much as it shook her. She still didn’t like it, but at least she wouldn’t be the only one stuck with it for the days to come.
* * * * *
A half hour or so after his little explosion, Royce pulled his car into Wil’s driveway and killed the engine. If he thought the tension between them had been bad before he’d stupidly kissed her…it didn’t even compare to the choking pressure now filling the car. “We’re here,” he told her. He opened the car door and sucked in a deep breath of air untainted with the scent of the ocean warm female that wrapped around Merida. “Do you need me to carry anything for you?”
She got out of the car and slammed the door, rolling her eyes as she opened the back door and got her suitcase and duffel bag out of the back seat. “I told you before I’m all set.”
He cracked his knuckles to avoid hitting something, like his car, and got his own bag out of the trunk. He came back around the front of the car, his gaze locked on Merida. He’d never seen anything like her in his life, with her auburn hair in wild curls and her green eyes shooting fiery glances. Fierce and soft and sexy and…mad as hell. She looked ready to kill, and he harbored no doubts that he was the object of her wrath. He shouldn’t have touched her. Shouldn’t have kissed her. But at that point, he hadn’t known what else to do to get her to stop talking.
If she hadn’t broken the kiss, he wouldn’t have stopped. His still-aching cock proved how ready he’d been to thrust inside her—in the car on the side of the road. Now, as he watched her focus her lethal gaze on him, he realized his mistake. He didn’t know if she was the type to run away when things heated up or try to murder him in his sleep. Neither choice seemed preferable.
He leaned in and whispered into her ear. “I really appreciate you doing this.”
She raised an eyebrow. “No, you don’t. You feel entitled to take whatever you want, whenever you want it. Don’t give me that appreciation shit.”
“Okay, I was going to try to be nice about this, but forget it now.” He stepped in front of her, crowding her until she backed up against the car. “Listen up. If I took what I wanted, when I wanted it, kitty, I would have had you bent over the hood of my car, my cock slamming into you, about an hour and a half ago.”
Her lips parted and she blinked up at him, surprise in her gaze for all of two seconds before she shoved the bitch mask back into place and scooted around him. “Don’t even think about it. If you touch me again, with any part of your body, I will do some serious damage to a few of your most prized body parts. I’m not going to warn you again. Now are we going to stand here all night or are we going to go inside so I can meet your so-called friend?”
“Yeah. Fine. Come on.” He led her up the winding stone path leading to the farmhouse Wil had made his home for the past ten years. Weeds poked up through the cracks in the walkway and the grass looked like it hadn’t been cut in weeks. Merida glanced around and shook her head.
“What’s with your friend? He’s never heard of a lawnmower?”
“He’s got a little problem with sunlight, and the neighbors would probably get mad if he mowed the lawn after dark.”
He started to walk up the porch steps, but her hand tugging on the back of his shirt brought him to a halt. “What now?”
“You can’t be serious. I’m going to be staying here alone with two vampires?”
He fought the burst of laughter that rose in his chest at her anxious expression. “Don’t worry. We only bite when we get hungry.”
A chuckle escaped his lips at the fire that flashed in her eyes. He chucked her chin with his thumb and walked up the porch steps to the front door. Wil pulled the door open a few seconds after his knock.
“Hey, man. Good to see you.”
Royce smiled at his friend, one of the few he cared to keep. He’d known Wil for years, hundreds of them, and neither of them had changed much during the course of their friendship. “Good to see you, too. It’s been a long time.”
“Too long,” Wil agreed. He glanced around Royce to where Merida stood leaning against the porch railing, a scowl marring her delicate features. “Who’s this?”
“This is Merida. She works for Sam Kincaid,” he told Wil, mentioning a former boss of Royce’s—a man nobody dared mess with.
“She does?”
Royce nodded. “She’ll help us out with this. Trust me.”
“She doesn’t anymore,” Merida mumbled. “You would have known that, vampire, if you’d bothered
to ask. And how about not talking about me like I’m not right behind you, okay?”
“Whatever you say, dear.” Royce laughed and shook his head, turning his attention back to Wil. “She does this kind of thing for a living. Don’t let her claws scare you, though. She’s all talk. Well, mostly anyway.”
Wil didn’t look too sure, but he opened the door and let them both inside. He glanced at Merida with an uncomfortable expression on his face. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Royce watched Merida, trying to gauge her reaction to Wil. His size, along with his dark eyes and hair, intimidated a lot of people. Merida didn’t look intimidated, though. She looked bored.
She shook her head at Wil’s offer. “As much as I’d like to sit around chatting all night, I’ve got to get some sleep. You know us night sleepers. Always putting a damper on the party. Do you have a couch or something I can camp out on for the night?”
Wil looked at Royce with a questioning expression. Instead of strangling her for her attitude like he really wanted, he just shrugged. Wil rolled his eyes. “I’ve got a couple of spare bedrooms. Unless you two want to share?” He glanced from Royce to Merida and back again.
Merida’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “No. Absolutely not. If you’ve got the extra room, I’d rather have my own bed. Otherwise I can go sleep in the car.”
Wil shot Royce an amused look before returning his attention to Merida. “No problem. I have plenty of room. Follow me.” He led her toward the stairs.
“Goodnight, kitty,” Royce called after her. She didn’t even acknowledge his comment as she followed Wil upstairs and out of sight.
Royce had settled himself onto the blue denim couch by the time Wil came back downstairs five minutes later. He turned his accusing gaze toward Royce. “Why did you bring her here?”
“I thought she might be able to help us out.”
