by Claire Marta
Was there something about the toxin he wasn’t telling her about? It seemed a little strange he didn’t want anyone else getting their hands on it. Surely anyone stopping Marcel was a good thing. She had more questions now. Ones she was not sure would get answers to.
She frowned. “Why not?”
The vampire’s expression was now closed and remote. His cold, blue eyes fixed on hers. “I have said more than enough here. Come now, let us make our farewells.”
With his free hand, he relieved her of the glass. As a waiter passed by with a tray he deposited both his and hers on it. Jasmine blinked in surprise.
His big, warm hand then settled on her lower back. A riot of sensations exploded through her as his skin touched hers. Jasmine bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. The feeling was electric.
A moment later he was guiding her across the room. Their host was among a circle of guests. They all seemed to be hanging on the Frenchman’s every word. Laughter erupted as they reached his side.
“Marcel we have come to say our adieus,” Eric informed him with a smooth, friendly smile.
The fat man looked up in surprise. “You are leaving so soon, mon ami?”
He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his brow. He seemed to be sweating more than usual. Jasmine wondered if he was nervous about something.
The vampire's arm curved around her waist and tugged her close. The heat of his side seared her.
“Jasmine is getting tired and I fear I shall have to get her to bed.” His voice was husky and suggestive now.
Every pair of eyes in the group turned to her. Jasmine felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment. Why the fuck did Eric have to use that as an excuse? Centre of attention again. She hated it.
Pierre was hovering, keeping Claude from trouble. The big man’s eyes met hers. He flashed her a lecherous grin. She was tempted to flip him off but managed to resist.
Marcel giggled. “Of course. Then I shall not detain you.”
Suddenly she found her hand in the fat man’s grip. He raised it to his lips. The kiss on her skin was wet and cold. Jasmine managed to hold back the shudder of revulsion. Barely.
Claude waved at her cheerfully. His eyes were over-bright and he’d had too much to drink. At least he didn’t seem too miserable now.
“I shall be in touch,” Marcel told the vampire.
Eric shook the arms dealer’s hand confidently. “Until then.”
Muscled arm still around her waist, Jasmine found herself manoeuvred to the front of the boat. Sending the vamp an irritated glance, she sighed.
She didn’t like to be dragged along. He seemed to be in a hurry now.
They reached the staff who had taken their coats, and Eric produced the ticket. The woman in charge took it without a word. They watched in silence as she ferreted about on a coat rack until she matched the numbers.
“What’s your hurry?” Jasmine muttered, slipping on her coat. Getting to sit down was all she could think about now. It was just way too painful to keep upright.
“We have remained long enough,” he murmured back. “I do not need to be recognized by any other agent we may run into.”
Jasmine eyed him curiously. “Would they?”
Guarded, eyes slid to hers. “It is a possibility. I try never to involve myself with them. I tend not to work well with anyone other than my own team.”
Yet the vampire was working with her. She wondered why. He could have easily not let her come tonight. She could have spent the evening sitting in the hotel room doing nothing. Jasmine sighed. That's probably what she would be doing now after disobeying his orders. She had royally cocked up.
Eric tucked her arm through his. In silence he led her off the big boat. They seemed to be the first to be leaving. She had a feeling everyone else would be partying until the early hours of the morning. Not that she cared. She winced as they made their way back up beside the river. She held in a moan of despair. The short distance suddenly looked daunting. Why the hell did it have to be so far?
With a squeal of surprise, she suddenly found herself in the vampire's arms. One arm under her shoulders, the other beneath her knees. He held her as if she weighed nothing. His hard, muscular chest was pressed against her side. The heat of his big body enveloped her, chasing away the winter evening chill. Jasmine shivered.
Desire surged through her. She didn’t want to admit how damn good it felt to be in his arms. She peered up into his dark, brooding face.
Looking down, he met her gaze as he strode along with a confident ease.
“Your whimpers of pain are distracting,” he informed her softly. “I wish you would have told me earlier how bad your feet were.”
Had she been whimpering? Jasmine realised she hadn’t even noticed. Embarrassment engulfed her. “Why?”
Eric shot her a look of exasperation. “I would have found you somewhere to sit.”
“I didn’t want to spoil your undercover work,” she admitted, not meeting his eyes.
Maybe not telling him how bad it was had been a little silly. Jasmine honestly had not wanted to get in the way. Especially as she had already pissed him off.
The vampire shook his head. “So you suffered in silence.”
As she opened her mouth to reply, another voice interrupted her.
“Jazzy, what’s going on?” Twitch’s voice purred softly in her ear.
Blinking, she realised she hadn’t told him they were no longer on the boat. It was so damn easy to forget he was there. The techno mage had to know what was going on anyway. He loved to listen.
“Twitch, we’re leaving the party now.”
Eric’s arms tightened around her momentarily. Glancing up, she found his icy blue eyes narrowed to slits. He really hated not hearing the conversation.
Jasmine felt her lips twitch. Pressing them together, she resisted the urge to grin. She found it amusing that he found it so irritating. She had to bet he had never had this problem before.
“OK,” Twitch sighed, sounding tired. “The range of the earwig will probably make it stop working for a while.”
Worry tugged at her insides. She didn’t want to be parted from her friend again. OK, he wasn’t physically with her at the moment, but being able to hear his voice was reassuring. At least this way she knew he was fine. Without any kind of connection, if anything happened she wouldn’t know.
She tensed a little against Eric’s chest. “Be careful, Twitchy. Good night.”
“You too. Night,” he whispered back.
Jasmine felt a lump form in her throat. They had to get Twitch away from Marcel. She would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to him.
With a sigh, she rested her head against the vampire’s firm chest. The steady thud of his heart was reassuring against her ear. Eric had promised to get the techno mage out. Unfortunately, Jasmine knew promises sometimes could not be kept.
They weren’t far from the road now. Raoul would be waiting patiently for them with the car. She suddenly remembered there was something she needed to tell Eric. Someone else needed their help. An innocent.
“Claude needs help, Eric. Marcel won’t let him leave,” she said, tilting her face to stare at him.
His sensual lips tightened for a moment before he responded. “I am well aware of the boy’s situation.”
So he knew already? Had that been before or after the party, she wondered. Jasmine wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been before. Damn vamp with all his secrets. Why wouldn’t he share more?
“Can we help him?”
Eric sighed wearily before meeting her eyes. “We will do all that we can, Jasmine.”
By the time they reached Raoul and the car she was exhausted. She never wanted to be put down. Just the thought of standing up again made her grimace.
The other vampire was waiting to greet them with a polite smile.
“Are you alright?” he enquired with concern.
Jasmine raised her head from Eric’s chest.
“My feet are fucking killing me,” she grumbled and then yawned.
She was never wearing heels again as long as she lived. Not even if she was paid to do it. From now on she was sticking with flat shoes.
One of Raoul’s dark eyebrows cocked at her reply. With quick efficiency he had the car door open and ready.
Without a word Eric deposited her into the leathery interior of the Bentley. Resting her head back, Jasmine sighed.
Maybe now she could relax.
Chapter 17
Eric joined the little female in the back of the vehicle. The fact that she had hidden her distress and discomfort irked him. Had she really thought he would not care about her comfort? He was not a monster. He could have easily eased her pain. Jasmine was certainly stubborn and curious. She both annoyed and intrigued him.
She had handled herself remarkably well this evening. He was proud of her. Smith had naturally liked Jasmine. He had not seemed to be fazed by her digging questions. In fact, he looked like he had been enjoying it.
Eric repressed a smile. It had been good to see his old friend. The passing of time had been kind to him. For a mortal in his fifties, he had not lost his handsomeness. Many female eyes had admired the American. No doubt he would not leave the party alone. It would be a shame to no longer come across him when their paths occasionally crossed. This was one of the reasons Eric did not work with humans. Nor make friendships with them. Their life spans were painfully short. Even more so in the business he was in.
He could feel Jasmine’s eyes on him. She was twenty-two. Like Smith, she would age and grow old. For a mortal, time was precious—minutes, hours, days, years. For him time meant very little. He was a born immortal.
A sigh left his lips. He could not afford to become attached to her. Perhaps it was time to give her a little punishment. After all, the girl had disobeyed him. Plus she had left him painfully aroused most of the evening. Now it was her turn to experience a little frustration.
He was going to enjoy this immensely.
*
“So what are we up against?” Jasmine asked.
They had been driving in silence for a good ten minutes. Eric seemed to be lost in thought and Raoul was sticking to his role as driver.
Eric didn’t bother to turn from the window as he replied. “Only time will tell.”
So he wasn’t going to tell her about the neurotoxin. Was that because he didn’t trust her or because he thought she didn't need to know?
She pressed her lips together in annoyance. Slipping off her high heels, she groaned. She wanted to have them burnt. Her feet were still aching with cramps.
“Place your feet upon my lap,” Eric said softly but firmly.
Startled at his commanding words, she stared at his face. His icy, sapphire blue eyes glittered at her enigmatically.
“I-it’s OK, really.”
Why was he watching her like that? She felt both excited and nervous.
“Come now, your feet are sore, are they not? Let me help,” he encouraged with a sphinx-like smile. Eric suddenly looked dangerously irresistible.
Jasmine bit her lip. They were hurting a lot. Was he offering a foot rub? It was the last thing she had expected from this mysterious vampire. Just the thought of having the cramps kneaded out almost made her groaned.
Carefully she slid her feet onto his lap. His thigh was hard and firm beneath her calves. The contrast between her slender stocking legs resting on his black suit pants was striking.
Still nibbling on her lip, she watched him warily.
Slowly he glided the palms of his hands down her knees to her ankles. His eyes now were focused on her legs. Gently his fingers began to massage the sole of her right foot. She barely bit back a small sound of pained bliss. Leaning her head to the left, she rested it against the leather seat.
Soon he was kneading a little harder. His clever fingers worked away the little spasms and cramps.
“I sensed a werewolf on the boat.” Jasmine was surprised how thick her voice sounded. “The sandy-haired guard you found me with.”
Eric frowned but did not look up from his task. “Are you certain? I sensed nothing.”
“Yes, I’m more than sure.” Her reply was soft, husky now. “Wolf is something I pick up easily. One of my team is one. Wouldn’t he have sensed that you’re a vampire?”
A sharp jolt of pleasure hit her right between the legs. Jasmine gasped. Pressing her thighs together, she tried to ease the sensation. Just then she remembered someone telling her about pressure points on the feet that affected other parts of your body. From the look of satisfaction on Eric’s face he knew about those, too. Had he done it on purpose?
When she tried to wiggle her foot away, he held it tighter. Raising his head, he pinned her with the intensity of a single look. It demanded her submission.
Jasmine suddenly found it hard to breath. The force of his will pushed against hers. Dominant, potent, forbidding her to escape. Sagging back, she left her foot where it was. She was tired and did not have the energy for a battle of wills. Not tonight.
His big hand caressed her ankle. She sensed he was pleased with her compliance.
“No. I have the ability to hide what I am from others, even supernaturals. Except, it would seem, from you. Perhaps the wolf has learnt the same trick,” he mused softly, answering her question.
The kneading of his thumb on one particular spot had her gripping the leather seat as it was stimulating another area of her body. Clamping her thighs tightly once more, she tried to ride through the feeling. Shockwaves of ecstasy exploded between her legs. Jasmine whimpered, rolling her eyes shut. Chest rising and falling rapidly, she tried to catch her breath. Holy shit, how had he done that? Playing with her feet and he was pleasuring her beyond belief.
He had moved now to her other foot. The attention he had given her right was now lavishly applied to her left. A low groan escaped her lips before she could stop it. Jasmine thought she heard him chuckle.
She glanced nervously towards Raoul in front. He did not seem to have noticed. His eyes were on the road ahead.
Eric continued his manipulation of her flesh. Jasmine was almost a boneless puddle of pleasure by the time they were back at the hotel.
Scooping up the high heels, she didn’t both to put them on. The pain had been worked out of her feet. Now her soles tingled pleasantly from the vampires ministrations. Her body felt tight with need. For some reason the bliss of his foot massage had left her feeling strangely craving…something. She had an ache deep inside she could not explain.
Eric helped her gently from the car. Legs shaky, she used the car for support for a moment. Her eyes slid to the vampire. His face was unreadable once again. Nothing showed on his handsome face or in his cold, intense eyes.
He didn’t comment when she padded bare foot back into the hotel.
By the time they hit the elevators she was steady on her feet. Neither vampire said a word as they travelled smoothly upwards.
Jasmine kept quiet. She was a little embarrassed about what had happened in the car. Raoul must have realised what was going on. He had sensitive vampiric hearing for fuck's sake.
When he met her gaze across the small space, he smiled. Heat rushed into her cheeks and she looked away. He definitely knew.
As soon as they reached the suite, the vampires switched on their laptops. All their attention was now focused on work. Raoul was checking his contacts and surveillance footage. Eric was looking at emails.
Jasmine headed into the bedroom and changed. She had decided to swallow her embarrassment. Both vampires seemed happy to ignore her and she was fine with that.
She tugged off the little black dress and left it on the bathroom floor with the purse. She found a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt and pulled them on. Much more comfortable. She also felt less vulnerable and more in control. She didn’t bother with shoes. Instead she remained barefoot. It gave her feet time to recover a little more.
Now that they were back
, she realised she was starving. None of the finger food at the party had touched her lips. Her stomach had been too tied up in knots for her to eat. She quickly made a call down to room service. Eric had told her to use it for whatever she wanted and she wasn’t about to say no.
She had forgotten to eat too many meals lately. Breakfast she never ate anyway. Lunch was if she could remember to buy it. Most of the time it took one of her teammates waving food under her face to get her to eat at all. Dinner was usually some kind of sandwich. Mark was convinced she lived on nothing but air and copious amounts of tea. Jasmine guessed it was partly true.
“I ordered something for dinner, if that’s OK,” she informed them as she wandered back into the room.
“Of course, Jasmine. You must keep your strength up,” Eric replied, barely looking up from his screen. “I am glad you took the initiative this time.”
He sounded so brisk and business-like. As if he hadn’t touched her in the car at all. Had he just been playing with her? Maybe it was a weird punishment for disobeying him at the party. He had, she recalled with some pleasure, threatened to spank her.
Jasmine bit at her lower lip. The vampire evoked confusing feelings within her. He aroused her with his words, his touch, and his looks. Never had she considered letting anyone smack her bottom. Yet here she was wondering if he still intended to do it. She wasn’t sure if she liked this feeling inside her at all.
After plonking down onto the free sofa, she watched them. They were working quickly, quietly, and efficiently. There was a flow to their movements, like they had done this a hundred times before. Had they? How long had they been doing this kind of work? Years? Centuries even?
Eric glanced up from his computer screen for a moment. “Why not just ask the question that is burning on the end of that lovely tongue of yours, Jasmine?”
Taken aback, she stared at him apprehensively. “H-how did you know I wanted to ask you something?”
“Your face is very expressive,” Raoul informed her, his eyes still on his laptop screen. “You would not do well at poker.”
