“Is there anything else I can get you?” John asked.
Sarah shook her head. Would Lori take the hint?
“Yeah, I’d like another Jack and Coke.” Lori leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs.
Sarah inwardly sighed. She couldn’t very well kick her friend out, and she couldn’t abandon her, either. “I changed my mind,” she told John. “I’ll take another Diet Coke.”
“Coming right up.” He saluted and headed for the bar.
“He sure is sweet on you,” Lori said. “I don’t think he’s taken his eyes off you all night.”
Sarah turned in her chair and smiled back at John. Yeah, he was sweet, maybe too sweet. She hoped to see some wild by Sunday.
“I better go make room for that drink. I’ll be right back,” Lori said.
Sarah tore her gaze away from John to acknowledge Lori’s statement and gaped when her friend passed Perry on the way to the restroom. He pulled a one-eighty at Lori’s retreating figure and Sarah shook her head. Of all the people to show up. He slunk into the seat across from her and settled himself in. She silently groaned.
Perry grinned wide, flashing his white teeth. “Good evening, Sarah,” he said in a voice dipped in honey. “How do I always get so lucky to find you alone?”
At their last meeting, she’d had no idea he was a vampire, yet he scared her. And now that she knew? Heck, he still scared her. She just didn’t trust him or the way her body reacted to his touch. His bright green eyes sparkled with mischief.
“You said you would behave,” she said.
“Yes, but that was before you knew what I am. Does that knowledge change anything?”
“I didn’t tell John about your visit because you said you would behave,” she said through clenched teeth. “Do you want me to change my mind?”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Don’t worry, Sarah. I didn’t come to harass you, I came to see Johnny.”
Did that mean he had news about Ray? She’d opened her mouth to ask when Lori returned.
“Who’s your friend?” Lori grabbed her seat and once she got a good look at Perry, she turned her wide-eyed face Sarah’s way and mouthed, “Oh. My. God.”
Perry was a good-looking man, Sarah couldn’t deny that, but his package was deceiving. As much as it pained her to introduce him, she ceded. “This is John’s friend, Perry Davenport. Perry, this is my friend, Lori Forester.”
Perry took Lori’s hand and kissed it, similar to the move he’d made on Sarah when they’d first met. Lori ate it up.
“So, you’re Perry, huh? Sarah mentioned you, but failed to tell me how good looking you are.”
“And she didn’t tell me what a beautiful friend she has, either. I guess that makes us even.” He flashed a smile at Lori and she giggled. Uh oh. Not a good sign. Sarah didn’t want them hooking up. What might Perry do?
John came back with their drinks and placed them on the table before sitting beside Sarah. “Hey, Perry.”
She nonchalantly placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. He glanced down at her hand before looking up. She pointed to Perry and Lori with her eyes, but maybe her fear came out instead. Or maybe John sensed it. Whatever, she hadn’t planned on him getting mad. When he turned toward Perry, his look could have wilted flowers.
“Are you behaving yourself?”
Perry clutched his chest as if in pain. “Now Johnny, I’m being good, really.”
“Who said you had to be good?” Lori asked.
Perry gazed at Lori and grinned. “Oooo, I like her, Johnny.” His eyes almost smoldered.
Oh crap. Sarah had seen that look several times from John. Bad enough Lori was interested. Did it have to go both ways?
Lori scooted her chair closer to Perry. “Do you live around here or are you just visiting?”
He weaved his arm around hers and took her hand with both of his. Lori grinned and desire flashed in her eyes. They were so intimate, Sarah felt like a voyeur.
“I’m only visiting, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun tonight, does it? They plan on leaving soon anyway, don’t you, Johnny?”
Sarah stared at Lori. How could this be happening? Sure, Lori was a big girl, but Perry was a vampire. And vampires liked to…do what? Feed? Have sex? Have sex while feeding? Crap. Just because John never tried any of that on her, didn’t mean Perry wouldn’t on Lori.
John stood and tapped her on the shoulder. “Sarah, can you help me for a minute?”
How could she leave the two of them alone? They might not be here when she got back.
“Can you get me another on your way back?” Lori asked as she held up her drink. “It suddenly got very hot in here.”
Okay, so Lori had no plans on leaving quite so soon. Slowly, Sarah rose, still feeling apprehensive. John grabbed her elbow and helped her up, and, after relaying Lori’s order to Heather, led her to his office.
Once they were out of earshot, she asked, “Do you think it’s a good idea to leave Lori alone with Perry?”
He shut the door and faced her. Cupping her face tenderly, he wiped everything from her mind. The whole week she had craved his touch, but he’d been so distant that she doubted he’d ever touch her again.
“Sarah, relax. Lori is fine. You know how Perry can be. It’s not the first time he’s ever been out with a mortal. Besides, it seems Lori is enjoying herself.”
His loving strokes put her in a trance, but his words woke her up, and they weren’t comforting. “How do I know he’s not controlling her or something? How do I know he hasn’t tried to control me?”
He grasped her shoulders and placed his forehead against hers. “First off, he doesn’t do that. Despite what you think of the man, he has his pride. Something will happen only if she wants it. Okay? Secondly, if he had tried with you, he wouldn’t have succeeded and he hasn’t said anything.”
“You haven’t told him?”
He shook his head.
“How come?”
He shrugged. “It never came up.”
It never came up or he didn’t want Perry to know? Was John still afraid for her safety?
“Listen, Lori will be fine. If she’s not interested in him on her own, he’ll walk away. Trust me.”
Which meant Perry wouldn’t walk away because Lori was clearly interested. Crap.
Sarah wrapped her arms around John and nestled her head in his shoulder. If only they were at his house already. “When can we leave?” Nah, she wasn’t anxious.
A chuckle rumbled through his chest as his arms came around her. Contentment. Security. She could stay like this forever.
“Soon as I talk to Perry.”
She reveled in his embrace, but the sooner she released him, the sooner they could get on the road. Plus, she really wanted to know what Perry had found out. When they returned to their table, she found Lori had scooted up against Perry. If she moved any closer, she’d be in his lap.
John placed his hands on the table and leaned into Perry’s ear. “We’re ready to leave.”
Patting Lori’s hand, Perry said, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” He flashed another smile Lori’s way. She practically swooned. Perry stood and glanced at Sarah before following John.
Lori’s eyes got that star-struck, glazed-over look. She was either under Perry’s control or had completely lost it.
“Are you okay? Do you need some air?”
Lori blinked, coming out of her trance. “Wow! What a guy. And is he hot!”
There was no stopping her now. Once Lori latched onto someone, that was it. But seeing Perry again made Sarah wonder. “What do you think of his eyes? Do you think they sparkle?”
“Sparkle?”
“Yeah, you know. Glimmer, like glitter?”
Lori raised an eyebrow. “No. They sure are a pretty green, but otherwise they look normal to me. Why do you ask?”
“How about John’s eyes?”
Lori cocked
her head. “John has beautiful blue eyes, but you already know that. Where are you going with this?”
“I thought I saw them sparkle. Must have been the light playing tricks on me.” So Lori didn’t notice. The eyes of every vampire Sarah had ever met sparkled. Why was that?
“Whatever. And by the way, Perry offered to walk me to my car later. Hell, maybe I’ll get lucky tonight.”
“Lori!”
“What? If he’s willing, I’m willing. It’s not every day you run into someone like that.”
More accurate than she’d ever know. Sarah shook her head. “Just be careful, okay? I really don’t know him that well. I’m concerned for you.”
Lori’s face softened and she smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s the first time for me or anything like that. You two run along and have a fun time, and hopefully I will, too,” she said, giggling. Lori was absolutely glowing.
John returned carrying his bag and Perry resumed his position next to Lori. Sarah could only shake her head. Telling the couple goodbye seemed like a waste of time. Had they even heard her? They never looked up.
Once the doors to the Bumblebee closed to listening ears, Sarah started with her questions. “Did Perry find Ray?”
John frowned and shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Ray hasn’t been at his house all week, or any of his other known locations. It’s like he’s vanished. I’m guessing your accident scared him off.
She’d never scared anyone off. Why now? “Are they quitting?”
“No, of course not.”
“But if they don’t have anything else to go on…”
“There are other theories.”
“What kind of theories?”
He looked away. “They aren’t important. Just know no one has stopped, okay?”
How could they be unimportant? It was her life they were talking about. She turned his head her way and disregarded the pleasurable zap. “I’m not frail, John. I know you think you need to protect me, and don’t think I haven’t appreciated the fact you’ve been around the past week, but you can’t do it all. I have to fend for myself during the daylight hours. You can’t be there all the time.”
His pained expression weighed heavy on her shoulders, but how else would she get to the truth? The man wouldn’t tell her anything if he could help it.
He took her hand into both of his. “You’re right. I can’t be there all the time. I wish I could, you don’t know how much I wish I could. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You’re too important to me.”
“Then tell me, so I can protect myself. If I’m left in the dark like I was before, I won’t be prepared for anything.”
He hung his head low as if he’d lost a fight. Maybe she’d finally gotten through.
“Okay, I’ll tell you what I think, but you have to know it’s only speculation. I don’t have any proof, yet.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “What do you suspect, then?”
“I tried to determine why Ray came back to attack you. It didn’t make any sense. I’ve never had any problem with suggestions before. It shouldn’t have happened this time either. But after we ran into Steven Monday night, I became a bit suspicious.”
She told herself to let John tell his story without interrupting, but when he mentioned Steven’s name, she couldn’t help herself. “What? You said you couldn’t read his mind. Did you lie? Would it have prevented—” She couldn’t finish the question.
John widened his eyes and shook his head. “God, no, Sarah. I didn’t get anything from him. I swear. I wish I did, then I might have been able to prevent it.”
Of course, he was right and she was just overreacting. He would have done anything to prevent Steven’s assault.
“When I tried reading his mind, all I got was static. Someone had control.”
“When you say someone, you mean another vampire, don’t you?”
Being the polite guy that he was, he merely smirked and nodded when he could have given her a look that said Duh. Why wouldn’t he mean another vampire? What human could do that?
“Anyway, with Ray coming after you, it makes me wonder if someone is controlling him, too. Perry and Barnet are looking into it.”
“How many vampires live in the area?”
“In Dayton? Just me. Perry visits occasionally. If anyone else passed through, they haven’t contacted me.”
While Sarah didn’t care for Perry, he wouldn’t be helping if he were the culprit, would he?
“I wish I knew who would come after me that way,” John said.
“What do you mean come after you? Aren’t I the one being attacked?”
“Yes, but think about it. Whoever is doing this knows how important you are to me. Ray would be in jail, not suddenly back into your life. And while Steven has his issues, would he really sacrifice his freedom in such a manner?”
“But I wasn’t in your life when you sent Ray to the police.”
“Yeah, that’s the only flaw in my reasoning. Told you it was a theory.”
Was fate righting a wrong because Ray hadn’t killed her on that night? Well, fate could take a shit bath. She wouldn’t give up without a fight, even if it meant acting like some crazy, paranoid person.
Sarah looked out into the garage. Here she was on the brink of a nice, relaxing weekend, only to start it stressed out to the max. Would she spend the rest of her life looking behind her? Because vampires didn’t age—they could go at it forever. They could hurt John forever. It seemed as if the oxygen in the SUV thinned to nothing.
He pulled her close. “Sarah, it’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. This is why I didn’t want to say anything.”
His presence soothed her as nothing else could and she relaxed. One way to stop all the madness would be if he turned her, but he never mentioned that possibility. She’d give him more time, but if he didn’t bring it up, she certainly would. “No, I’m glad you told me. I needed to know. Maybe I’ll see something during the day that you can’t.” She pulled away and sat up straight. “Enough of this. Let’s go start our weekend.”
He grinned and his eyes sparkled a little brighter. “Anything for my sweetie.”
Sweetie? She’d never been anyone’s sweetie before. She kind of liked it.
Chapter 24
The trip to Urbana was shorter than Sarah expected. Forty miles should have taken nearly an hour, since the route was comprised mostly of minor thoroughfares. Instead, John arrived in under thirty minutes. Talk about a lead foot. And keen eyesight. And maybe that controlling bit. Geez, no wonder vampires had never been discovered.
He turned onto a driveway and she squinted through the window. She’d assumed he lived in a normal neighborhood, but driveways this long didn’t exist in normal neighborhoods. How big was his place? It certainly was secluded enough. Trees lined both sides of the driveway for what seemed like forever, but lights up ahead told her they were almost there. Anticipation nearly caused her to jump up and down in her seat. When he drove into a clearing, her jaw dropped.
What kind of trick had he played? How was this place just a house with a yard and a garage? She had pictured the kind she grew up in—a one-story ranch—not a castle, and how could that not be a castle what with a two-story turret out front?
“John, you’ve been holding out on me,” she said as she unbuckled the seatbelt. “This place is huge. It’s beautiful. How could you not live here all the time?”
He shrugged as he undid his belt. “I got lonely out here by myself.”
Well, the place was isolated, probably a perfect vampire hideaway, but without any family… Maybe someday she could be his family. She wouldn’t mind living here.
She’d hopped out of the Bumblebee and headed toward the home when she spotted the covered porch. She stopped and clutched her chest. How many times had she dreamed of having such a place to sit outside and read? She ran, anticipating all the wonderful
things she would discover, but halfway there she remembered their luggage, and her manners. She pulled a one-eighty and plowed into John.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. He grabbed her shoulders and held her upright. “Sorry,” she said. “I came back to help with the luggage.”
“It’ll wait,” he said, grinning. He turned her toward the house. “Come on. You’re anxious to see it, so let’s go see it.”
Sarah stepped up to the porch. “It has a swing?” Those afternoon reading sessions were looking like a strong possibility. Except John wouldn’t be able to join her. Her jubilation deflated a bit. “Maybe when it’s warmer we can sit out here at night?”
He hugged her from behind. “I’d like that. And you could always come out and enjoy the sun, too.” He placed a kiss atop her head and then opened the front door. She walked inside, but after he shut the door, she became blind. She put her hands out to keep from hitting anything.
“Sorry,” he said. “I keep forgetting.”
A light came on and the brightness caused her to shield her eyes for a moment. She stood and stared at the curving staircase. The mahogany handrail gleamed. “Bet you slid down the banister when you were a boy, huh?”
“Not if I wanted to keep my hide.”
Hmm, she didn’t believe he hadn’t attempted it at least once.
“Over to the right is the dining room,” he said as he pointed. Curtains covered the curved windows of the empty room, but not a speck of dust could be seen. “As you can probably guess, it doesn’t get much use.”
She found him grinning at her. “I’m sure there are lots of rooms you don’t use. The kitchen? The bedrooms?”
He nodded. “Yep, don’t really have a need for them anymore.”
No wonder he didn’t live here, too big and empty for one person.
“What’s over here?” she asked, indicating the room to the left. She gravitated to the huge stone fireplace and pictured a roaring fire and maybe a bearskin rug lying in front. Did they even make those anymore? She’d find something soft and furry.
“The living room.”
One lone couch occupied the wall across from the fireplace and thick drapes covered the windows. She pulled back a panel and discovered plywood. “Are all the windows like this?”
Bite Me I'm Yours Page 18
