by Elisa Adams
She nodded slowly, nervously wetting her lower lip with the tip of her tongue. She backed up a step, then another, to put some much needed distance between them.
“I wouldn’t expect a beautiful woman like you to be all alone. Do you have a man waiting at home for you?” His eyes darkened at the question.
He didn’t know the half of it. Sometimes she wished she were all alone. One day with her family, and he’d understand. She shook her head. “It’s just…I… Never mind.” She should leave before this got any worse, but her stubborn feet refused to move.
He stepped closer and raised his hand, a set of keys dangling from his fingers. Her keys. She thought her heart stopped for a beat before starting again with a thud. “Where did you get those?”
“On the ground by the bench. They must have fallen out of your bag.” He held them in front of him as if daring her to come and get them.
She swallowed hard. She always kept her keys in her pocket or purse. Always. She never put them in her bag. That thought was enough to release her from whatever held her to the spot. “Thanks for bringing them to me.” She held out her hand and waited for him to place them in her palm.
He laughed softly as he walked to her. “Here you are. Have a safe drive home.” His fingers brushed her palm as he gave her the keys. She felt the contact all the way to her toes. His voice was a husky whisper, one that had her thinking illicit thoughts about naked, sweaty bodies tangled in satin sheets, moving together in—
“Thanks,” she said sharply, trying to pull herself out of her lust-induced haze. What was wrong with her? It was like some wanton flake had crawled into her mind and set up residence.
“My pleasure.” He lowered his head a little, his gaze meeting hers dead-on. His deep voice had her practically panting at his feet. “I meant what I said about your talent, and your beauty.”
The sincerity in his gaze made her face flame. “Well, thanks. I really do have to go now. Again.”
“I’ll be in town for a while, and I plan to take a trip to the gallery you mentioned to see your paintings,” he said as she turned to walk away. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”
“Maybe,” she said without turning back to him.
She virtually ran toward her car. He didn’t follow, and she didn’t care. The pull he had over her rattled her, and if she hadn’t walked away that second there was no telling what stupid things she might have done. She shifted her tote bag on her shoulder and walked faster. When she glanced up after she opened her car door, he hadn’t moved an inch. Funny, but it felt as if he were standing right next to her.
It took about five minutes for everything to click firmly into place. She’d known, subconsciously, almost from the beginning of their meeting, but she hadn’t dared acknowledge it until now. The truth hit her all at once when she paused at a stop sign. She didn’t know who the stranger in the park was, but she knew what he felt like.
A vampire.
Just what she needed in her life, another vampire. She leaned forward and banged her head on the steering wheel a few times. “Wonderful.” She had a serious case of lust, and the guy wasn’t even human.
And she’d bet her entire year’s commission that the real reason for his visit had nothing to do with art.
* * * * *
Eric sat at the tiny round table, the blue light from the screen of his laptop the only illumination in the hotel room. He shifted in his chair and glanced at the glowing green digits on the alarm clock. Twelve-fifteen. The night had just begun. He rubbed a hand down his face and thought about the woman in the park. Ellie. She might prove to be a distraction if he wasn’t careful. He had a job to do, and he’d be wise not to forget it.
He’d shaken her. That much had been obvious—barely. She was strong. Getting close to her wouldn’t be as easy as he’d previously thought. He’d tried his hardest to bend her mind to his will, but he’d scarcely been able to get inside. Every time he thought he had her, she mentally locked him out. Sam had told him the woman was an ordinary human. Obviously, that was not the whole truth. But he’d do what it took to bend her—out of necessity. She might be his last chance at catching a killer before he destroyed another life. He had a personal stake in this job since three of his closest friends were dead.
He might be next, if he wasn’t careful.
He’d have to be. Tracking the killer while having to constantly look over his shoulder had become tedious work. It had been months, and it was time to end this for good, no matter what it took. But he didn’t want Ellie hurt.
Where that thought came from, he had no idea. He’d need to remember that he was here in Stone Harbor to do a job, not pursue a woman—at least no more than the job entailed. If he could get close to her, he’d be able to get the information he needed. It was quite possible, given her friendships with the few vampires who lived in town, that she already knew the killer’s identity. On the other hand, those vamps were a secretive bunch, so she might not know anything at all. That was why he’d have to get close to the human woman, get her to relax around him enough that he could get inside her head.
And he was fooling himself if he thought that was his only reason for wanting to get close to her. The second she’d looked up at him with those big blue eyes, lust had hit him with the force of a hurricane. He wanted to get to know her better, both mentally and physically, in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with work. But getting closer to her might mean putting up with her vampire friends for a little while too, and that thought turned his stomach. The last thing he needed were a bunch of vamps to ruin his life, especially those vamps in particular.
God, he hated bloodsuckers.
Chapter 2
Ellie pulled into her driveway, gave a quick glance toward the garage apartment where her grandmother had moved to last summer, and let herself into her house. Still uncertain about her encounter in the park, she poured a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. She didn’t need another vampire in her life. The three she had were enough. She’d known Marco so long—since she was eight years old—that he’d become a permanent fixture in her world. She’d instantly bonded with Amara, his wife.
And then there was Royce.
She hated to call him her boyfriend. The term usually inferred some sort of deep emotional bond, of which the man wasn’t capable. He was more of a friend, one she slept with on occasion. And even those occasions were lessening with time. He didn’t do anything to turn her off, he just didn’t turn her on. She’d been trying to break it off with him for a week or so now, but couldn’t think of a way to do it without hurting Amara’s feelings. She was the one who pushed Ellie to get to know her brother-in-law better, and Ellie had agreed to at least give the man a chance. But like every other man she’d dated since her divorce, he didn’t do a thing for her. None of them ever did.
Except Eric Malcolm.
No. She wouldn’t think about him now. She’d never see him again, and it was time to get back to her real life—the one that didn’t include seductive vampires in public parks.
She’d just started fixing supper when the doorbell rang. She ran down the hall to answer it, knowing it was only a matter of time before her grandmother had some kind of an emergency. But it wasn’t her grandmother she saw through the narrow windows next to the door.
Royce. This was not what she needed after the incident in the park. She opened the door, even though she would have pretended she wasn’t home if she’d thought she could get away with it.
“Hi.” She smiled weakly.
“Can I talk to you about something?” He walked in without being invited, but that was nothing new. She’d gotten used to his way in the past couple of months he’d been staying in Stone Harbor—but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Um, okay.” She sighed as she shut the door behind him. Men. What was it about them that made them think they owned the world?
He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, looking way too comfortable in her house. She bit back a s
nippy reply, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to get him angry now. She couldn’t really blame her mood on him, even though she’d like to. Eric Malcolm had set her off-balance, and she wanted to lash out at the loss of control. Royce had picked a bad night to visit.
She took a deep breath and sat down in a chair across from him. “What’s up?”
He leaned back and propped his arms behind his head. “I’m going to South Africa.”
“Excuse me?” His reply floored her. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but that wasn’t it. “You’re going where?”
“South Africa. I got a job offer to travel to a couple of countries in need of a doctor, and I’ve decided to go.” He paused and frowned. “That doesn’t upset you, does it?”
“Why should it?” she asked slowly. Why did she think there was some kind of a catch here?
He continued, ignoring her question. “I was hoping you’d come with me.”
Her mouth fell open. Come with him? Was he out of his mind? “Why?”
Her sharp answer got his attention. He sat up on the couch, his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, why? I thought we had something going here. I thought you might want to spend a couple months seeing other parts of the world.”
She thought carefully before she answered, not wanting to do any more damage to his fragile male ego. “Royce, I can’t. I have a life here, a family that needs me. I can’t just pack up and leave them.”
He shook his head and ran his hand through his long, blond hair, looking shaken for the first time since she’d known him. When he finally spoke, defeat was evident in his voice.
“I’m sorry about this,” he said softly.
That took her by surprise. She’d expected anger, or even a guilt trip, but she hadn’t expected an apology. It was probably the first time in the history of her life that a man had bothered to apologize to her, and she didn’t know how to handle it. “What in the world do you have to be sorry for?”
“I’m trying here. I’ve done nothing but try to get this thing between us to work out. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “Of course I do.”
“And you’re not interested.”
Royce was an attractive man. She just wasn’t attracted to him. His lifestyle and sometimes careless attitude didn’t lend themselves to deep, emotional connections. “Deep and emotional” didn’t even have a place in his vocabulary. She needed connections, and he couldn’t provide them. They just weren’t compatible in that way, and to her, that was everything.
She took a deep breath, not sure what to say next. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t keep letting him think there would ever be more between them than friendship. He knew it, too, even if until now he’d refused to admit it.
He spoke when she remained silent. “Don’t feel bad. Just tell me the truth. Honestly, I’ve been trying to find some kind of a spark between us, but it’s just not there.”
“I didn’t think men needed a spark.”
That got a laugh out of him. “I’ve been getting the feeling you’re looking for something I can’t give you. Your response to my request proved it. I can’t do the commitment thing, Ellie. I haven’t been able to in so many years. I think maybe we should stop this relationship stuff and just try to be friends, for Marco and Amara’s sake.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, for both being free of the weight that had been suffocating her, and for not having to do the dumping herself. No was not a word that came easily to her, and she hated more than anything to hurt people. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Of course, she’d miss the sex. It had never been mind-blowing—which only happened in books, as far as she was concerned. But pretty good sex was better than no sex at all. She’d get over it. She’d find someone else, someday. Unbidden, Eric’s face flashed through her mind.
“You’re not upset?” Royce asked, looking a little confused.
Upset? She was ecstatic. Now she could get on with her life, and not feel guilty. She shook her head. “Are you?”
His smile was nothing short of rakish. “I’ll be okay. In time.”
For the first time in months, she felt like she could get to know him without the commitment angle thrown at them at every turn. She should have known better than to try to force something that never would have worked. “Well, good. You know this means we’re not going to bed together anymore, right?”
“What?” He gazed at her, mock-wounded. “Why not? What’s wrong with a little sex between friends?”
She smiled at his half-joking tone. “I’m looking for commitment, not casual. Besides, you’ll be in South Africa. When do you leave?”
“In a couple of weeks. Maybe until I go…” He let his sentence trail off, the look in his eyes completing the thought better than words ever could.
She shook her head and frowned at him. “Give it up, because it’s not going to happen. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding some other woman to satisfy your needs during the weeks before you go.”
He just smiled. He didn’t need to answer that. They both knew he never had trouble finding a woman when he needed one. “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.” She didn’t indulge in casual affairs, usually, and with Royce she’d pretended they had a commitment to justify her behavior. In truth, she’d been bored, a little lonely, and in need of something new in her life. Now she knew without a doubt that flings weren’t her style. She’d wait until she found a man who could make a commitment to her, and not run away screaming when he learned the truth about her family.
She was starting to believe that she’d never find one man who fit those criteria. Royce, being what he was, accepted her just fine but balked at the idea of commitment. Todd was all for commitment—or at least she’d thought he’d been—but he’d failed in the understanding department. He’d said he accepted her lifestyle, but now she wondered if it was more a novelty for him than true love. Once the newness had worn off, and he’d seen that witchcraft was a real part of her life and not some silly phase she’d grow out of, he’d packed his things and moved in with his “normal” girlfriend.
“What are you thinking about?” Royce asked, leaning forward on the couch. “Are you sure you’re not upset about this?”
She smiled at the genuine concern she saw in his eyes. “We’re better off as friends. We both know that, and it would be wrong to push for more. Are you upset?”
He laughed. “No. I’m sorry I waited this long to bring it up, but I didn’t want to hurt you like your ex-husband did.” He paused, frowning. “You know, someday you’re going to make some guy very happy.”
“Maybe.” Her smile wavered and she pushed the lingering doubts out of her mind. Someday she would find the right man. Maybe she already had. She’d just have to wait and see what the future held. “And someday you might realize that living alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
He shook his head, denial plain on his face. “Right. I’ve been alone for too long. It’s too late to break this habit, Ellie.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You just need to find the right woman.”
His expression saddened a little. When he spoke again, his voice was soft. “I’m not looking. I never will be.” His expression changed again, like a door closing in his mind, and the cheery visage slipped back into place. “I’m having too much fun on my own. Why would I want to weigh myself down with another wife? That would be a moronic thing to do. Look, I have to go. I told Amara I wouldn’t be long, and you know how she gets. I’ll be in touch before I leave, okay?”
Just like that, she’d chased him away. Amara was only an excuse, the set of his jaw and the darkness in his eyes told her he’d had enough conversation for the night. Wanting to kick herself for bringing up his painful past, she walked him to the door. “If you ever want to talk, you know you can call me, right?”
He looked down at her for a while before he answered, his gaze unreadable. Tenderness
sparked in them for a few seconds before it disappeared behind the hurt and anger. “You’ve really got to stop taking care of everyone else and start taking care of yourself, Ellie.”
She smiled as he bent down to kiss her forehead before he walked out the door. Whether he knew it or not, he was a good man. He deserved to find someone to make him happy. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the person to do that.
After Royce drove away, she went back to fixing dinner for herself and her sister Charlotte, who’d moved back home after her divorce a couple of months ago. What a track record her family had—both she and Charlotte had been married and divorced before they were thirty. But Ellie knew better than anyone that it was hard to find a good man these days. The Holmes family had been practicing witchcraft for generations, and they weren’t prepared to give it up for the sake of a man with conformist ideals—at least most of them weren’t.
Their youngest sister, Becca, didn’t get it, either. All her life she’d questioned their practices, refused to participate in every aspect of witchcraft, and berated them all—especially her mother and grandmother—for carrying on with what she termed old and outdated traditions. Ellie knew her discomfort with living in a family of witches played a big part in Becca’s decision to move out, and it hurt a little. But she couldn’t change Becca’s opinions. Of course, it didn’t stop her sister from visiting several nights a week at suppertime. Becca swore her visits were just that, but Ellie suspected the girl was hungry. Becca’s job at a novelty shop downtown barely made her enough to pay the bills, and her jerk of a live-in boyfriend was too lazy to go out and get himself a job.
Ellie wanted so much to go over to their apartment and throttle the guy, but she’d promised Becca she’d stay out of it. Her little sister wanted a chance to live her own life, and Ellie had to respect that. Still, it was hard to sit back and watch the young woman’s life fall apart around her while the jerk did nothing.
“Smells good.” Becca came through the front door just as Ellie set the table. She set an extra place for Becca’s boyfriend, knowing it was useless. He wouldn’t set foot inside their house even if he had to, and he’d probably rather Becca didn’t either. Tony hated how close she was to her family, and he constantly tried to find ways to separate them. He’d been in town for a month, and already he had her living with him and supporting both of them on her salary.
