The chair behind his desk was empty. A quick scan of the room showed it was too. She released the breath she’d been holding.
She placed the report on his blotter, then looked around. He hadn’t changed much about the office, but his presence was indelibly stamped on the small space. The spicy scent of his aftershave lingered. Draped on one arm of the coat tree next to the door was a black leather jacket. A framed map of the world on what looked like parchment hung on the wall above the credenza.
The single picture on the polished wooden surface caught her eye. She picked it up to study it more closely. Although the people in the grainy, sepia toned photograph wore old-fashioned clothing, the man in the middle dressed in the military uniform of a Confederate soldier looked just like Rafe. She squinted. Had it been taken at one of those old time portrait studios? The weathered, wooden house in the distance didn’t look like a backdrop.
“That picture was taken during the Civil War.”
Kelsey bit back a scream and almost dropped the frame.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Rafe said.
Kelsey placed the picture back on the shelf, then clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been looking at it.”
He leaned his hips against the credenza, stretched out his legs, and crossed one foot over the other. “I don’t mind. Why bother putting pictures out if no one is going to look at them?” He motioned to the frame. “That’s my great, great granddaddy in the middle.”
Was it? Or was it him?
She groaned silently. Damn Tracy. Her ridiculous theory had prompted the most erotic of erotic dreams last night. Did it have to mess with her sanity as well? Rafe wasn’t immortal. Vampires weren’t real.
Were they? “The resemblance is…striking.”
He chuckled. “We could have been twins if we hadn’t been born in different centuries.” His gaze caught hers. Unblinking. Sincere. Not a trace of deception in the blue irises.
Or was he just a very good liar? With centuries, or maybe even millennia, of practice.
“It’s nice to have family heirlooms like that. I don’t have anything that old.”
“It’s easy to lose track of things over the years.” His gaze searched hers a moment longer, then he stood. “Was there something else you needed besides a family history lesson?” A hint of amusement colored the words.
“No. I put the latest enrollment numbers on your desk. The picture caught my eye as I was on my way out.” She turned to go. “Have a nice night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have dinner with me Saturday.”
She froze. Her heart, which she’d just managed to get under control, sped. A slow pivot brought her to face him again. “Haven’t we talked about this already? It’s not a good idea to date the boss.”
“No one has to know.”
“Rafe.”
He took a step closer, bringing the scent of his aftershave into sharper focus on her senses. Bringing everything about him into sharper focus. The breadth of his shoulders beneath the gray sweater. The intensity in his gaze. And the memory of what it was like to kiss him. And make love with him.
The dream had been so vivid.
So real.
“I like how you say my name.”
“Ra—” She bit her lip, then shook her head. “We can’t do this.”
He traced a crooked finger down her cheek. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Oh Lordy. She locked her knees so she wouldn’t melt into a puddle on the Berber carpet.
His hand slid to cup the side of her neck. “Your pulse is racing.” His thumb brushed the spot. “Are you still going to tell me this is a bad idea?” His breath stirred the wisps of hair around her face.
“Y-yes.”
“Because I’m your boss? Or is that just an excuse?”
“An excuse?”
“Is it really because I’m your boss, or is it because of what I am?”
****
“I think you might be right about Rafe.”
Fate, in the form of Arthur knocking on Rafe’s door to talk to him about something, had saved Kelsey from needing to answer the mind-boggling question about what he was.
As soon as she arrived at work the next day, she’d made a beeline for Tracy’s cubicle.
Tracy’s gaze shot to Kelsey’s neck. She grabbed her own. “Did he—?”
Only in her dreams. Unfortunately. “No.”
Something in her tone must have given her away, because now Tracy’s eyes bugged. “You want him to bite you?” she squeaked. “He could kill you.”
Kelsey shook her head. “He won’t.”
“Vampires are dangerous.”
“Well, he hasn’t tried to bite me yet, and we’ve been alone together on more than one occasion.” With his lips enticingly near her throat. “He’s had plenty opportunity to do something and he hasn’t. Besides, vampires and humans co-exist and are…together…in all those books you read. What about Snookie and Eric?”
Tracy rolled her eyes. “Snookie is from Jersey. You mean Sookie.”
Kelsey waved a hand. “Whatever. They’re like boyfriend and girlfriend, right?”
“You still want to date him, even if he is?”
Oh, she wanted to do more than that with him. “I can’t date him. He’s my boss.”
Tracy snorted. “I think you have bigger concerns at the moment. Besides, no one cares.”
“Ryan thinks the only reason I got the promotion is because I’m sleeping with Rafe.” A tiny thrill shot through her. If only.
“Ryan’s a moron. No one else thinks that.”
“How do you know?”
“Because gossip travels like rag weed in the fall around here. And I haven’t heard anyone say boo about you and Rafe. Ryan’s just jealous because he didn’t get the job. Everyone else knows how good you are at what you do. You deserved it.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now, back to more important matters. What are you going to do about Rafe’s…condition?”
Kelsey laughed. Was that the right word? “I don’t know. I mean, I guess I need to find out for sure. Are there ways to tell?” Tracy knew more about these things than she did.
“Well, like I said, some of the signs I’ve already noticed are pretty convincing.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “You could try asking him to do something during the day and see what he says. Or bring him some food and see if he really eats it. Give him a silver pen set for his desk?”
“Hmm?” Although Tracy’s ideas sounded corny, if the legends were true about vampires, one of them might work. “Okay, I’ll think of something. But right now I have work to do.” If people really did think she got the job on her own merits, she didn’t want to give them any reason to believe otherwise.
“You need to get over that, you know.”
“What?”
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“What, did Edward’s mind-reading abilities rub off on you since you’ve read those books at least a dozen times?”
Tracy didn’t respond to the joke and her tone remained serious. “I’ve known you for a long time. Since we were kids. And I know how it always made you feel when people thought you got things because of your dad. But you didn’t get this job because of who your father is. And you didn’t get this job because you kissed Rafe. You got this job because every program you’ve come up with around here has been a huge hit. You worked your ass off developing programs for the new all-night library. You’re dependable, hard-working, and give one-hundred percent to everything you do.”
Tears sprang to Kelsey’s eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So now stop worrying about trivial things and focus on what’s really important.” She grinned. “Unearthing the truth about Rafe.”
Chapter Four
Although unlocking Rafe�
�s secret was never far from her mind, with Halloween and the first all night session fast approaching, Kelsey didn’t have much time to think about silver pen sets or daytime activities.
Despite what Tracy had said, Kelsey still wanted to prove, maybe more so to herself than anyone else, that she was the right person for the job. So she made sure everything was perfect. She double-checked lists, supplies, personnel, and made sure every t was crossed and every i dotted.
And she tried to ignore, the best she could, the sizzling tension in the room every time she and Rafe were together. Especially when they were alone. Which, with final details to go over on a regular basis, happened quite often.
Two days before the all-night opening, she found a note on her desk in his bold scrawl. He wanted to see her as soon as he got in that evening. Sunset was around five-thirty these days, so that meant he’d be in around six.
She traced the inked words with the tip of her finger. Would a silver pen really burn him? She cringed. She didn’t want to cause him pain.
“Kelsey.”
She jumped when Ryan spoke.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you saw me walk up.”
She shook her head to clear it. “No, I guess I was spacing out.”
He handed her a file. “Here’s the budget analysis. It looks like we’re in good shape for opening night.”
“Excellent. Thanks.”
He turned away, then stopped and faced her again. “Oh, and hey, I wanted to let you know, I think you did a great job putting everything together for the new night time programs. I think it’s going to be a great success.”
For a moment, surprise rendered her mute. “Thank you,” she managed when she found her voice.
He nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
****
“Hi.”
Rafe looked up as Kelsey poked her head into his office.
“You wanted to see me?”
Oh he wanted to see her all right. Naked. Writhing beneath him. “Yes. I just want to double check and make sure everything is finalized for Thursday night.”
“We’re all set.”
“Can you give me the rundown one more time?” No need to tell her he’d already memorized the schedule. He’d take any excuse he could to spend more time with her.
A small frown puckered her forehead, but she nodded. “Sure. I actually have the final enrollment totals right here.” She tapped the folder in her hand.
“Great. Have a seat.” He motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. Once she was seated, he came around and took the other chair.
A subtle flush of color bloomed in her cheeks. Her hands trembled as she spread the papers on the desk. She cleared her throat. “So, we have twenty-seven with the proper intestinal fortitude signed up for the horror movie marathon.” She shuddered.
“Scary monsters not your thing, huh?”
She tilted her head to look at him, a peculiar expression on her face. “Monsters are fine. It’s the slasher films I don’t have the stomach for.”
“Ah, so no blood and guts?”
“Exactly.”
He leaned in closer on the pretense of looking at the names on the list. The sweet apple scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils. And sent heat shooting to his groin. “We checked ID’s at the time of registration and someone will check that night, too, right?”
“Yep. Only eighteen and older allowed in that one. We have thirteen adults signed up for the midnight showing of Bella Lugosi as D…racula.”
“So, if monsters are okay, does that include vampires?”
She bit her lip, then looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “I don’t have a problem with vampires.”
He stifled a groan, wanting nothing more than to replace her teeth with his own and nibble on her plump lower lip. “Vampires are usually associated with blood.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “I know. That’s…different.” She cleared her throat. “We have sixteen children signed up for the costume party and sleepover. We’ll be showing It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at seven. Sherry is making pumpkin pancakes in the morning.
“Tracy is hosting the teens for five movies’ worth, that’s ten hours, of The Twilight Saga.”
“Ah more vampires.”
“They seem to be everywhere these days, don’t they?”
He chuckled again. “In the least likely places. They’ve become quite an acceptable part of society. Commonplace, even.”
Her gaze caught his, then quickly skittered away.
Unable to control the urge to touch her any longer, he toyed with the wisps of hair on the back of her neck.
She shivered. “R-rafe. What are you doing?”
“Carry on.” He traced the vertebrae at the top of her spine.
“You shouldn’t—”
“I know. But I am.” He motioned to the papers. “What else?”
“We’ve pulled every Halloween related book from the shelves and created a themed reading area.” Her voice shook. “There will be hot cider and pumpkin donuts available all night. And then we have jack-o-lantern carving going on at various times during the night.”
“Excellent. It sounds like you have everything under control.”
She nodded. He used the motion to slide his fingers up into her hair. Her eyes drifted shut, and her lips parted. Her head tilted slightly away from him, baring the smooth column of her throat.
Desire. Need. Chased through his veins and burned through him. Only sheer force of will kept him in his chair instead of taking what she so sweetly offered. He wanted her. All of her.
Just a kiss. He could take that much. He brushed his lips across her temple.
A shuddery sigh made her body tremble. She half turned. He kissed down her jaw to the corner of her mouth. But when he drew her closer, she stiffened.
Her eyes opened. “We can’t do this.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true. People will talk.”
“So you’re more concerned about what people will say than how you feel?”
“How do you know how I feel?”
He placed his open palm just above the curve of her breast. His hand rose as she sucked in a breath. “Your heart’s about to beat out of your chest. You can’t ignore this thing between us forever. I already feel like I’ve been waiting for someone like you, no, waiting for you forever.” For someone to accept him for who he was. For what he was. Even if he was…abnormal.
Beneath his fingers, the beat of her heart fluttered even faster. Like a hummingbird’s wings. “Forever is a long time.”
She had no idea. “It’s an eternity.”
****
Kelsey would be forever grateful the phone rang just as Rafe leaned in for a kiss. Despite her protests, she was tired of denying her body, of denying him, what they both wanted.
Hadn’t she already proven she was good at her job? Did it really matter what other people thought? Would it really be so bad to date her boss?
At this point, maybe the better question was, would it be so bad to date a vampire? Was she crazy? The fact that she was calmly thinking about the possibility probably meant she was.
Just a month ago she would have laughed herself silly to even be thinking about it. But that was before she met Rafe. And there was no way Rafe Alexander was simply a staid librarian. No way in hell.
What would it mean if he was a vampire? Other than the tiny nibble at the fundraiser, her knees went weak just thinking about it, he hadn’t tried to bite her. Danger was the least thing on her mind when she was alone with him. Fighting the urge to offer her neck in a blatant, sensual invitation took more willpower than she ever thought she possessed.
She wanted him so badly it made her eyes cross. She’d just like to know for certain. Was he or wasn’t he? Although he hadn’t come right out and admitted what he was, he’d certainly dropped enough hints, especially with his talk of forever and eternity and all that
stuff about what he was.
So what should she do? Try one of Tracy’s ideas? Come right out and ask him? Would he admit it? Would it change things if he knew she knew? Would he still want her? If they were going to be together…eventually he’d have to tell her, right?
And what about the future? Vampires were immortal. They lived forever. Humans grew old and died. Would Rafe move on when she aged, or would he make her a vampire too, so they could stay together forever? What would it be like?
Kelsey rubbed her temples. The endless cycle of questions made her head spin. A stack of certificates caught her eye. Damn. She’d forgotten to give them to Rafe. So much for being on top of things.
It was his fault, really. She couldn’t think straight when she was around him. Part of it was the was he or wasn’t he question taunted her and nearly killed her with curiosity. The bigger part was, her brain insisted on spinning delicious fantasies about the two of them. The back of her eyelids was like her own little private erotic movie screen. His teasing touches and almost kisses didn’t help matters.
She wanted him. He wanted her. It made it difficult to remember all of the reasons why she shouldn’t. Resisting the sinful lure of his blatant sexuality, no matter what he was or wasn’t, grew increasingly harder with each passing day. Hell. With each passing moment.
How long would it be before she fell into temptation, damn the consequences?
With a sigh dredged from the bottom of her soul, she grabbed the stack of certificates, and then headed back to Rafe’s office.
She knocked, but didn’t wait for a response before opening the door. “Rafe, I forgot to give you—” Kelsey froze as he turned.
Pointed fangs protruded from his mouth.
Chapter Five
“What’s the matter?”
Did he have to ask? Had he given up the pretense of being human? What did it mean that he wasn’t hiding his secret anymore?
Kelsey’s hand went instinctively to her throat. She swallowed. The dizziness swirling in her head made the room tilt.
The Vampire and the Vixen Page 3
