by Morgan Hawke
Tarot Key: The STAR
Passion's Vintage
Two Hollywood Vampires Find a Potent Cocktail.
By Morgan Hawke
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Passion's Vintage
Copyright ã 2004 Morgan Hawke
ISBN: 1-55410-107-7
Cover art and design by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books, a division of Zumaya Publications, 2004
Look for us online at:
www.zumayapublications.com
www.Extasybooks.com
ABOUT THE STAR:
The STAR is the card of the Muse and the Faery, representing Inspiration with a Price that must be paid. Both dark and light simultaneously, the inspired vision is both great and terrible. The brilliant yet consumed artist.
Positive Meaning: Youth, beauty, inspiration and talent. Also, healing, both physical and mental, and restored vitality and energy. New horizons, new visions, new opportunities.
Negative Meaning (reversed): Severe depression, exhaustion and self-doubt. False hope, stolen talent, plagiarism, burn-out.
Chapter One
~ Snow~
The half-moon was a sardonic and winking eye floating along the upper edge of the woolen scarf of night clouds. Fingers of moonlight slid between the winter-bare branches of the trees to brush against the sleek curves of the dark Saturn. The road climbed steadily, undulating upward, toward the mountain pass.
Bryn downshifted to deal with the road's rising curve. She smiled grimly. "Once I cross this mountain, I'll be ten minutes from the convention."
Miniscule white specks floated through her headlight beams. The specks grew steadily larger...
Bryn frowned then blinked. "Is that snow?" She turned on her windshield wipers.
In less than twenty minutes, the swirling snowflakes became as large as feather clumps, and the night sky became a soft and hazy pale gray. The forest became blanketed in white, and so did the road.
Bryn clutched the steering wheel grimly. She could barely see through the falling white. "This is not looking good for a timely check-in at the hotel."
The car began a lazy drift to the left. The tires were losing their grip in the deepening snow. She turned the wheel to make up for the drift and succeeded in sharpening the drift toward the left. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She tapped the brakes and the car began a slow and graceful spin. "This is not what I was trying to accomplish!"
The car nosed off the road and slid gently into a snow-filled ditch on the wrong side of the road.
Bryn blinked. "Well, this has to be the softest accident I've ever had in my life." She snorted then put the car in reverse. The engine promptly stalled. She sucked in a breath. "Car, don't do this to me. We are in the middle of no-where."
The engine refused to turn over.
"Piss," she said in complete disgust then dug for her cell-phone. No signal. Bryn pounded her fists on the steering wheel. "Damn it!"
An hour later, headlights burned in her passenger side-view mirror. Her back window was completely snow-covered.
Bryn shoved her way out of the snowbound car and waved at the oncoming SUV. To her relief, the driver spotted her through the thickly falling snow and stopped. The passenger side window buzzed down and a familiar Hollywood face smiled at her with snapping black eyes. His hair was almost pure silver and hung over his shoulder in a long tail pulled back from his broad and handsome brow.
"Having a bit of trouble are we?" His accent was rich with European tones.
Bryn's mouth fell open. Oh my God, is that...? She closed her mouth with a snap. "Yes I am. The car won't start and my cell phone isn't working..."
He shook his head. "I'm afraid that cell phones don't work anywhere on this mountain. Didn't you bring tire chains?"
Bryn gave him a sour smile. "Sure I did, they're in the trunk. The snow hit so fast, I was in the ditch before I thought to stop to put them on."
He raised his silver brows. "Well then, I guess you had best come with me." He leaned over and the door opened an inch.
Bryn stomped her chilled feet. "I don't know..." He was cute, for an older gentleman, and he seemed nice, but she really didn't know if climbing into a stranger's car was the wisest thing to do.
His mature yet still striking face creased in lines of humor. "Don't you want to be rescued?"
"I was hoping you could drive to town and call a tow truck for me?"
"Suit yourself, but even if I call a tow truck, you'll still have to wait out the snow until a tow truck can get to you, and that may be quite a while. If you come with me, you can at least be warm while you wait. I have a cabin about ten minutes drive from here."
Bryn nibbled on her bottom lip. "How long do you think I'll have to wait?"
He smiled grimly. "I hope you have a good battery to keep that car warm. Snows on this mountain have been known to last a day or so."
"I see what you mean." Bryn shook her head. "If you don't mind, I'll take you up on your offer..." She pulled the door open and delicious heat washed over her.
"Mind!" He laughed. "If I'd minded I wouldn't have offered you a lift in the first place."
She stomped the snow from her boots and climbed onto the leather bench seat, pulling the door closed behind her. "Thank you for rescuing me."
"My pleasure, of course." He nodded and turned the steering wheel sharply, bringing the SUV around in the snow to head back the way he had come. Tire chains rang, cheerfully biting through the snow to the asphalt below.
Bryn tried hard not to stare. He was dressed warmly in a long wool-lined leather coat over a thick sweater knitted in black lamb's wool. For an older gentleman he was incredibly attractive. His shoulders were broad and he seemed to be in amazingly good shape. The more she looked at him the more familiar he seemed.
"I don't mean to pry, but you look like..."
He watched the road with narrowed eyes. "That could be because I am."
I'm sitting next to...? She bit her lip and pressed her hand over her heart to calm the pounding. Oh my God! She shook her head. No one was going to believe this. Hell, she didn't believe it.
"Call me Connor." He glanced at her and raised a brow. "Do you have a name?" he asked softly.
"Oh, yes." She swallowed the hard lump in her throat. "I'm Bryn."
"Well Bryn, what do you do?" He gave her a heart-stopping smile. "Besides getting stuck in snow banks and rescued by aging movie stars?"
Bryn blushed. "Oh, I'm just a novelist. I write fantasy and science fiction. I'm expected at the fantasy con just on the other side of the mountain to do a bunch of book signings."
"Really? Well, I just happen to read fantasy and science fiction. What have you written?"
Bryn stammered out a few titles.
"You don't say? Well then, I have indeed read your work."
"You have?" Bryn stared. He read her books?
He nodded and delivered a smile. "V
ery entertaining, good imagination." He nodded. "As a matter of fact, the gentleman I'm sharing my cabin with also reads your work. He's rather fond of your stories."
"Really?" She grinned. "Wow, I'm flattered. Thank you."
"Good, because the price of your rescue is to let both of us aging movie stars seduce you."
I get to meet another movie star? Wait a minute...did he say seduce? Bryn bit her lip and felt her heart thud in her chest. "Me? You want to seduce me?" She choked out a laugh. "You're kidding right?"
"Actually, I'm not." He glanced over at her with tight smile and raised brow. "It won't be so bad, we're not all that kinky."
Bryn shook her head. "Why me? You're the sexiest man in Hollywood! I mean, there has to be thousands of beautiful girls, models, movie stars and singers all throwing themselves at you daily. Why would you want to seduce me?"
Connor shrugged and stared at the snowy road ahead. "Perhaps because we're tired of empty-headed actresses looking for someone to help them climb the Hollywood ladder of fame, by sleeping with whoever would have them?"
"Oh..."
"Oh, indeed." He turned and smiled. "I find that I have grown quite an appetite for someone with an imagination. I know that my associate, Nick is literally starving for want of quality companionship." He stared out the windshield and a frown touched his lips. "As a matter of fact, I can guarantee that both of us are in dire need of a young lady like yourself," he added softly.
Bryn shook her head and chuckled. "You sound like a pair of vampires looking for a decent blood-donor."
Connor stared hard for an entire second then his smile reappeared. "Yes, I suppose it does sound that way."
Chapter Two
~ Pink ~
"This way my dear." Connor, held the cabin door open and motioned Bryn into the small, enclosed porch. "It's very humble, but it's private." He closed the door firmly behind her, and she heard the click of a lock.
Bryn stomped her feet on the small rag carpet, knocking snow from her boots then looked up at Conner. She had not realized that he was quite so tall, or so broad-shouldered. For an older man, he looked amazingly fit. She unbuttoned the long wool men's coat. "I don't want to intrude on your privacy..."
"I assure you, your company will be well appreciated." Conner's brows rose as the coat slipped from her shoulders
Bryn could practically feel his warm and appreciative gaze traveling down her body, taking note of her full bosom, her narrow waist and her rather robust bottom. She was suddenly pleased that she had worn the snug jeans and the body-hugging black sweater.
Connor smiled broadly. "Indeed, the pleasure is all mine." He reached for her coat and hung it on a hook by the door, and then dragged his fingers through the long silver tail that hung over his shoulder, knocking loose a small amount of settled snow. "Why don't you take off your boots?"
"Oh, okay..." Bryn bent over to pull off her boots. From the corner of her eye she watched Connor staring at her rump then he leaned back. He wants a view does he? She grinned and spread her thighs just enough to let him catch a view of the plump division that outlined her female flesh.
He shook his head, whistled softly and jerked off his leather coat to hang it on another hook by the door. "Nick," he called out. "I rescued some company for this evening."
Bryn tucked her boots against the wall and straightened. With a soft sigh, she dug her fingers into the decorative twist of her hair. "How long do you think I'll have to wait before I can go back to my car?"
Connor stared as her hair tumbled loose to fall to her hips in long strawberry-blonde waves. He blinked. "Oh, I doubt you'll be able to leave the mountain for the rest of the weekend at least."
"The whole weekend?" She bit her lip. "But I'm due at the convention!"
Conner's brows rose. "Would it be so bad, spending the weekend here, with us?"
"I'd love to spend time with you, but the whole weekend? Are you sure you want my company for that long? What about your privacy?"
Connor's gaze dropped to the full bosom encased under the thick black wool of her sweater then leaped back up to focus on her mouth. "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something you might do to show your appreciation."
"I see." She raised a brow and smiled. She was a grown woman and there wasn't one red-blooded female she knew that would turn down an invitation to his bed, older or not. What could it hurt? However, she had no intention of remaining the whole weekend. Her publisher would kill her.
Bryn nodded. "All right. I'm your girl."
Conner gave her a heart-stopping smile. "Grand!"
"What is it now?" The voice was pure New York drawl. Nick appeared in the doorway in an iron gray sweater and creased jeans, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. He was as broad-shouldered as Connor but taller and loose-limbed with short-cropped and severely thinning, iron gray hair.
Bryn stared in astonishment. It was the bad-boy of Hollywood himself, and without his trademark sunglasses. He may have aged but he was still very striking. Wow...
Nick's black eyes focused on Bryn. "Holy fuck..." His sharply arched brows rose and he took a sharp half-step back. "Where'd you get her?"
Connor grinned broadly. "This is Bryn. I found her on the side of the road, and offered her a place to wait out the snow. She's agreed to keep both of us company.
Both of them? Her mind stuttered. She was going to be the center of the attentions of two Hollywood, stars? Oh wow...
Nick scowled at Conner. "Does she know that you don't mean Scrabble?"
Conner looked down at Bryn and raised a silver brow. "I don't think Nick believes me. Give us a kiss and prove me right."
A Kiss? Okay... Bryn licked her lips, and tilted her face up toward his. He bent to meet her, and his lips touched hers. Softly their lips brushed then he pressed for more. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue darted in, encouraging her to return the touch. His tongue lightly stroked hers, then not so lightly. Tender, moist, stirring... His hands slid into her hair. Her eyes fluttered closed. He slanted his mouth over hers and plundered, sucking on her tongue and nipping at her lower lip.
She moaned. My God he's good at kissing! Her fingers gripped and clenched on the shoulders of his sweater. But two can play at this game. Bryn returned the favor with darting brushes, soft suction and small nips of her own. She was rewarded with a groan.
Conner released her mouth. Bryn had to blink to get her thoughts back. His hands slid from her hair to her shoulders. His eyes were wide and his expression seemed surprised. She licked her lips for a final taste of him and smiled. Got'cha.
Conner suddenly grinned and shook his head. He turned to Nick. "Convinced?"
Nick's mouth opened, then closed. He nodded, staring at Bryn.
Conner raised a brow at Nick. "Do we have any hot chocolate and Glenfidditch left?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll go and-- " Nick backed into the doorway with a hard thump. He grabbed his bruised elbow and looked at the doorway in some surprise.
Conner bit his lip and smiled, then leaned toward Bryn. "I think he likes you." He lifted his chin at the staring Nick. "Oh and while you're in there; call Ed's and have him look for a black Saturn on the wrong side of the highway about ten minutes due north. It's Bryn's car. Have him check it over and bring it here."
"Uh, sure." Nick stared a moment longer at Bryn then turned carefully around and clomped with some speed back into the cabin.
Bryn looked up at Connor. "Is that...?"
Connor nodded and patted her shoulder. "Very much so."
She tilted her head. "Did I scare him?"
"He's a little too used to intimidating people." Connor smiled broadly. "The change will do him some good."
Bryn frowned. "I hope my car is all right."
Conner nodded. "You may have knocked something loose. Ed will check it, fix whatever's wrong and tow it here."
"Won't he need my keys?"
"Who? Ed? Now that you mention it, very likely... Why don't you give them to me; I'll have Nick tell
him to stop by and get them on his way up."
Bryn went back to her coat and fished the keys from her pocket. Conner took them and smiled. "Good." He waved her forward. "Well then, come inside, I have a couch I wish to introduce you to."
Bryn walked into the small and spare living room. The floor was wood and covered with an aged and faded rag rug. The black leather couch against the wall directly in front of her was overstuffed and worn. There was a huge bow window to the left, framed by heavy gray velvet curtains. A huge, and equally worn recliner along with an old standing lamp was parked right in front of the window. Someone was rattling dishes past the narrow doorway sharing the wall with the couch. It had to be Nick. A small television was parked on an end table against the wall on her right.
"Welcome to our humble hide-away." Connor stopped her with his broad hands on her shoulders. "Nick," Conner called out. "Tell Ed to stop by to get the keys to Bryn's car when he goes to fetch it."
Nick looked out through the kitchen doorway. "Right, sure..." He ducked back in.
Conner leaned over Bryn and brushed his lips against her ear. "That kiss was quite impressive, by the way. Can I convince you to reveal the rest of your, charms?"
She turned her head and leaned back into him. His lips were only a breath away from hers. "Does this mean you want me to resist?" She raised a brow. "Or shall I simply play innocent?"
Connor's face registered a small amount of astonishment then he let out a soft laugh. "Adventuresome are we?"
Bryn swayed her bottom, rubbing against the erection beginning to tent his wool trousers. "Who me?" She knew for a fact that her smile was pure sin. "I can be."
Connor's black eyes sparked with humor and heat. "Well, in that case..." His hands slid from her shoulders down. He cupped the full curves of her breasts and squeezed their softness. "I think this sweater needs to come off." His hands slid further down to grab the hem of the offending sweater and tugged it up. "I have this terrible urge to see what your nipples taste like."
