by Maggie Mundy
“You didn’t hurt me. It was wonderful. It’s just I can’t remember the last time I felt like that.”
His shoulders relaxed. “I want to repeat this experience. I want more of you.”
He waited, hoping she wouldn’t want this to be a fling. If so, he needed to convince her otherwise.
“I’d like that very much.”
Smiling, he kissed her, then eased off the bed and made his way to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Peering in the mirror, he growled under his breath to see his fangs grow, to feel them ache with need. His life had been one of struggle before he became a vampire. Since that night long ago when he had been transformed, with the friendship of Tristan—and the others—he had coped.
Yet from this moment on it would not be enough. His heart ached with need to be in Adele’s life, and he would have to find a way to be with her or die.
Who the hell was he fooling?
It had been so hard to make love to her and not plunge his fangs into her neck and drink. For the first time in hundreds of years, he craved human blood.
Not any human’s, but Adele’s, so sweet and tempting. From now on he would have to make sure he fed before he came to her. The concept hurt him deeply. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on making his fangs retract. It hurt, but he managed it.
When he walked out, she’d already dressed. His heart sank even as he struggled to keep his dejection from his expression.
“I’m going to my room for a shower and fresh clothes, then I’ll be back.”
“I miss you and your lovely body already. Especially those breasts.” He cupped them gently, then before Adele could pull up her jeans, he stroked a hand over her mound. “Here, too.” He pulled her close and kissed her mouth.
Her cheeks pinkened, and he liked it. “I’ll be back soon.”
~ ~ ~
As Vincent showered, he planned. A visit to his Norwegian friend’s farm would be a good idea before he returned. He would excuse himself for a while before dinner so he could feed.
Strolling out of the bathroom in his towel, he paused before his rumpled bed. After all this time, he’d finally made love to Adele. He could still smell her musky scent on his sheets, and he grew hard at the memory.
There was a knock at the door, and he hoped it was her. It wouldn’t take long to strip her clothes off. But when he flung the door open, Tristan stood there. His friend nodded toward the bulge beneath Vincent’s towel.
Tristan smirked as he walked in. “You obviously were not expecting me. Has she flown the coop already?”
“She went back to her room to freshen up. What’s wrong? I’m surprised you’re not still in bed yourself with the delightful Carla.”
“Carla’s lovely and quite wild in the bedroom, which suits my tastes. I had a call from Callum. It seems Henry hasn’t stayed in the dark for long. A body was found in Birmingham. The police thought it a suicide at first, but said his throat had been ripped out.”
Vincent shook his head. “Adele and Carla will be distressed at this happening.”
“It’s worse than that. The person killed was a hunter. The Witch Council is up in arms, and says the truce will be off. All vampires will be fair game if we can’t control our own.”
“What’s Hugo doing while all this is happening?”
“He’s trying to calm the waters.” Tristan’s phone rang and Vincent left him to talk while he dressed. When he walked back in, Tristan smiled.
“That was Callum. He said they’ve killed the parasite who murdered the hunter. The Elect took him to the Witch Council unconscious and let them do the deed as a sign of good faith.”
“And Rushton. Any sign of him?” Vincent asked.
“No, but our men are spreading themselves thin in the search. Hugo would like us to return, and I’ve already changed our flights. We’ll be leaving in an hour.”
There was a knock at the door. Vincent opened it, surprised when Adele dashed in, jumped into his arms, and kissed him. Her legs encircled his hips as her tongue drove into his mouth. For blissful seconds he forgot Tristan, until he heard a cough behind him.
Adele broke their kiss and a blush stained her cheeks. “Hi, Tristan. I didn’t know you were here.”
Vincent let her slide down his body, retaining hold of her hand. “I’m afraid there’s been a change of plans. Tristan and I have to return to the U.K. for business reasons. I’d booked a lunch for us today, and you and Carla should still go.”
“That would be lovely.”
He hoped it was disappointment in her voice he heard.
“Let me know when you get back,” Vincent urged.
As he made his way to the airport, Vincent considered it too good to be true. Only a fool believed in myths and legends about finding your one true love. The truth was he belonged to a race with violent tendencies.
A race Adele was trained to kill.
And after the killing in Birmingham, she would never want someone like him.
Chapter 8
Adele took another gulp of wine as she and Carla sat in the bar. The day had been pleasant, with lunch and a tourist drive. The two of them spent time at a local spot and giggled as they tried to ski. Most of their time was spent on their backsides. She wished Vincent were there. Falling into his arms on the soft white snow as the sun shone down on them both would have been fun. Thinking about what might have been was pointless.
“I should’ve known better than to mix business with pleasure, Carla,” Adele groused. “As soon as they’d both had their wicked way with us, they left. Though I shouldn’t complain. At least I managed to get a great job out of it to help my career. Plus, he broke the drought.”
“I’ve no regrets. Tristan is incredible in the sack, and I’m definitely going for a replay. Vincent said to give him a call when you get back, so he must be still interested.”
Adele loved her friend's openness, but she wasn’t about to divulge what happened in the bedroom with her and Vincent.
“It’s for the best. I need to concentrate on my work, and I wouldn’t get much done with him around. Those two guys are too damn sexy for their own good.”
“They were, weren’t they? Rich too, which helps. I have expensive tastes in footwear.” Carla laughed.
“You have expensive tastes in everything.” Adele took another gulp of wine just as her mobile rang. Maybe it would be Vincent. She looked down and saw Jake’s number. Why would he be phoning her? Something must be wrong. Adele’s gut clenched as she answered.
“Hi. What’s up, Jake?” As she spoke, Carla gave her a wide-eyed look. Adele put her uncle on speaker.
“Sorry to interrupt your work, but there’s been a death. It’s one of the hunters.”
Her stomach flipped, and her wine threatened to come back up.
“Who?” The witch hunters were a small community, and everyone knew each other.
“Garret. He heard a rumor of a new group of vampires setting up and went to check it out on his own. The police found his body in an old abandoned warehouse.” Adele could hear the anger in Jake’s words. She knew from that moment everything would change, and not for the better.
“I’ll get our flights changed so we can come back and help. What are the police saying?” Adele asked.
“The usual. They don’t care as long as members of the public don’t get killed. The police expect us to deal with it. So far, they put out to the press that some drug addict went crazy and hacked someone to death.”
“I’ll call as soon as we get back. I assume the Council is meeting.”
“The truce could go. The vamps brought in the culprit as a sign of goodwill, and we dispatched him, but things are tense.”
She hung up and exchanged a worried look with Carla. This brought everything back to reality. Exp
ensive hotels, great wine, food, and sexy men were nice, but not what her life was about.
After the concierge organized changing their flights, Adele and Carla trooped back to their room and packed their bags.
Adele loved her career, but she was a hunter first. Oh, well. It had been a nice interlude, except a part of her had wanted it to be so much more.
~ ~ ~
The following week, the police released Garret’s body. Adele went to Birmingham with Carla to offer her condolences. The tearful faces at the funeral made her consider how it could be her family here, if she’d been the one attacked.
The next day she worked on the photographs for the upcoming catalog for Vincent. She phoned the London office to keep them up to date and discuss options. Neither Tristan nor Vincent were there, and Adele couldn’t bring herself to call him on his cellphone. She needed some distance to think straight, or she would roll in between the sheets with him again.
With vampires on the loose, she needed a cool head. Vincent just made her hot and bothered. Not to mention she was a bit miffed that he hadn’t called her. Men were a distraction, she decided. One she didn’t need, even if they were good looking ones.
By nightfall, more than satisfied with her work, she emailed all the photographs through. The clothes would sell, she was certain. Adele ran a bubble bath and poured herself a glass of red wine. A soak in hot water eased away some of the tension of the last week. She even lit candles and turned out the light. Within a short time her eyes grew heavy, and the sudsy warmth made her drift off to sleep.
She dreamt about the beautiful tree. She stood before it and reached out to touch its leaves. Someone was there with her, standing behind her. When he put his arms around her waist, pulling her close, she sensed his arousal, but she wasn’t afraid.
He made her feel safe and protected.
The man pulled her hair aside, kissing her neck.
Whispering.
“I’ve waited so long for you. I’ll always be there if you need me.”
Vincent’s voice. Turning, she saw the passion in his eyes as he gazed down at her. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him—
Abruptly, she woke up, startling hard, the now-cold water splashing over the side of the tub. Someone was buzzing her intercom. She scrambled out of the bath, dried off, and grabbed her dressing gown. It wasn’t late, only nine at night, but she hadn’t expected anyone. She hoped and prayed it wasn’t Jake with news of another killing.
The intercom buzzed, and she pressed the button.
“Hello.”
“Adele. It’s Vincent. I’m sorry to arrive unannounced but I need to talk with you.”
Her heart missed a beat at the thought of seeing him, especially after her dream in the bath. What was she? Some adolescent schoolgirl with a crush? Poor man, she shouldn’t drag him into her illusions, or he would run a mile.
“Come on up.” She pressed the button to let him in and realized she was still in her dressing gown. She was about to head for the bedroom to change when the knock came to the door. This wasn’t the way she thought they would reconnect. She was covered from head to toe in a fluffy dressing gown. It might be warm, but not at all sexy.
She opened the door and there he was, as handsome as ever. Her heart did a flip as he walked in. With a half-smile, he gave her dressing gown the onceover.
“I’m sorry, were you about to go to bed?”
“No, I was having a bath.”
Vincent raised an eyebrow. “Do you mean to tell me you’re naked under there?”
Adele could feel her neck heat up as she imagined the blush covering her chest and face.
“Yes.” Her voice sounded low and sexy and not like her at all. He stepped close and undid the tie on her robe, pulling it apart. She had never seen such a look of lust, as what came over his face as he gazed at her. It empowered her; made her feel so sensual.
He leaned forward, kissing her neck, then trailed kisses to her right breast where he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. An electric zing went straight to her core. If he wanted her there on the floor, she wouldn’t stop him. Vincent moved her back against the wall and knelt before her. He placed kisses across her abdomen and then lifted one of her legs until it rested over his shoulder.
His mouth was on her core as his tongue thrust into her. This wonderful man had hardly touched her but she could feel an orgasm building.
How could he get her so wet so fast?
As he flicked her clit with his tongue and moved his fingers in and out of her, she screamed her release. This was so much more than business, and she never wanted it to stop.
Slowly, he eased her leg from his shoulder. Standing, he kissed her mouth. A moment later he broke their kiss and stared down at her with a grin, then retied her robe.
“I should have come sooner. I’m sorry I stayed away, but I promise I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Still recovering from her orgasm, she panted, “You said you . . . wanted to talk to me.”
Vincent’s eyes twinkled. “I did, didn’t I? Instead, I can’t keep my hands and mouth off your body. I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” She snorted out a laugh. “Besides, you didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to. I opened a bottle of red earlier, would you like a glass?”
Looking like a little boy who’d just gotten his favorite treat, he took a seat on the couch while she poured them some wine. If Vincent could make her forget the pain of the real world for a while, she would take it. She just couldn’t afford to give her heart.
Vincent glanced about the apartment, and she wondered what his place was like. He had peered into her bedroom as they passed by on the way to the couch, and she was tempted to drag him in. Thank goodness she’d tidied up. She considered getting dressed, but he’d already seen her naked, so there didn’t seem much point.
“My staff told me a friend of yours had died. I wanted to call, but felt I’d be intruding. Then today I was in Bath, and it seemed wrong to stay away. I thought I could help in some way.”
“Well, you certainly took my mind off things. It’s been tough, I won’t deny that.” She wasn’t going to feel guilty for a moment of happiness. Life had its rough moments, and she needed to appreciate the good ones.
“It was my pleasure.”
Her body flushed, her nipples pebbling under her gown. “Are you staying in Bath or heading back to London?”
“That depends on you.”
“Then you’re staying.” The words were out of her mouth before she thought them out.
He gave her a big grin in reply.
“So how are you coping?” he asked, as he kicked off his expensive shoes and relaxed against her couch as if he’d done it a thousand times before. She liked having him there.
“I’m good. Been throwing myself into my work. My friend didn’t die in good circumstances. Wrong place at the wrong time sort of incident.” Time to change the subject. “I sent the portfolio from Norway through tonight. Do you want to have a look?”
A little bit of decorum was vital, or she would rip off his clothes.
She collected her laptop and sat down next to him as he refilled their wine glasses. His arm went around her shoulder when she cuddled in beside him. This all felt normal, like any couple.
But she wasn’t normal. She was a hunter.
Vincent studied each picture, murmuring appreciatively. He seemed to love her work, picking up on the small things she’d been trying to achieve.
“Have you eaten? I can get some cheese and crackers if you want.”
“No. I had something before I came over. In truth, I just want you.”
“Want me.” She should say something else, but nothing would come out, so she kissed him instead. One of those long, d
rawn-out kisses meant to last forever.
After the kiss ended, he stood and held out his hand. When she arose, he scooped her up in his arms, and she squealed in surprise. He carried her into the bedroom, laying her down on the bed. Then he stripped slowly in front of her.
She pulled off her dressing gown. This time when they made love, he pleasured every part of her body until they came together.
Exhausted, she fell asleep in his arms, and it felt so good. For a little while, she could forget about vampires and killing and enjoy being a woman adored by a normal man.
While Vincent slept, she slipped on her jammies and tiptoed out of the room to make breakfast. Thankfully there was orange juice and crumpets. She slathered them with honey and hoped he would like it. With some coffee made, she picked up the tray and brought it into the bedroom.
Her sexy man was sitting up and chatting on his phone. He finished his call and set it down.
Was he her sexy man? Adele sensed she was falling for him, but had no clue where would it go. Hunters never married outside the guild because no one would believe the stuff she saw. She refused to think of it for now and concentrated on his amazing six-pack instead.
She placed the tray on the bed between them. “Sorry, no bacon and eggs. I hope you like honey.”
He sipped on his coffee and bit into the crumpet; chewed. “Almost as good as you, but not quite.”
She could get used to his compliments. “So can you hang around for the day or do you need to get back to London?”
“I need to drive back today, as we have some new clients coming in. Hopefully it will expand our business more into Europe.”
It all sounded so cosmopolitan. It made her remember they were from different worlds, even if they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
“I’m glad you stopped by. I thought about calling you, but I was caught up, and what happened in Norway seemed a bit surreal.” She concentrated on eating her crumpet, self-conscious for the first time since he arrived. He reached across and wiped some honey off her chin, then licked his finger. Everything about him oozed sex . . .
