This was unlike any encounter she’d ever had. Normally a man’s moves were boring and predictable and the urge not to yawn usually gripped her. But not now. There was something more to this. Sure, he had a great ass and he was attractive but there was a feeling she got from him that she couldn’t work out. She took her hands from her hips and reached for a ream of paper. In theory that’s what they were there for. In reality it was something else. “Here’s the paper.”
“You feel what I feel, Marduk.”
Oh yes. That hot, tingling sensation that started in her stomach and spiraled up her spine. “But I am not the sort of woman who’s a quick shag in a storeroom.”
And then he smiled and Marduk wished she was that sort of woman.
“No danger in your soul?” He took the paper from her hands and tossed it aside. Decatur moved in closer to her.
Marduk gulped. “I have a feeling you’re way out of my league.” The heat from the oncoming rush of his body made her inner thighs sweat in anticipation. She licked her lips and wondered what he would taste like. She just knew he would be addictive. Some men didn’t need to have a warning label because no one would read it anyway.
“I need to kiss you.” Decatur’s hands were at her waist. Pulling her closer.
Marduk knew she could push away. But I want danger. “Why me?”
“Because the look and feel of you drives me mad with need. The scent of your perfume makes me hot. To do anything else but kiss you would be crazy.” His body met hers. “Do you feel that? Do you know how good we would be together?”
Oh yes. Decatur’s lips hovered teasingly over hers. His breath was so warm and intoxicating that she felt her head spin. Good? Fantastic was more the word.
“Yes, but—”
And then Decatur kissed her and whatever the “but” was dissolved on her lips as she gave in to a wave of intense desire that molded her body against his as she sought to be closer to him. The same feeling that had rocked her body last night now tore into her heart and soul. It’s him but how can that be? Is it because I want so desperately to believe? Marduk knew she should be pulling away and maybe slapping his face and yelling at him for making her need him. But she couldn’t. I want him. She eagerly parted her lips under his as her hands pulled at the binding holding his hair in place. She did not stop Decatur’s hands as they roamed her body, touching and teasing and making her gasp in delight between kisses. This was real, raw passion and Marduk wanted whatever he could give her.
She was powerless to stop the hands that plucked open the buttons of her blouse. When his head dropped and he licked her exposed cleavage, Marduk pushed against Decatur for more. “Suck me.”
“Oh yes.” His hands made short work of her bra. That and the blouse fell to the floor as his lips fastened on her nipple.
Marduk clutched at the man’s head, holding him close for fear of him moving away. Her whole body was on fire with need as his mouth left one nipple red and wet and moved to the other, sucking hard and without stopping. It was one of the most sensual experiences she had ever felt. But like all the best moments in life, someone screwed it up.
“Oh sorry.” It was Vulcan. “I thought this was the door to the lunchroom.”
“Get out,” Decatur barked at him.
Marduk pulled from his arms and started searching for her clothes. Well, crap. How does one recover after a moment like that? That it was Vulcan who interrupted them made the whole situation more uncomfortable. She could see by the look in his eyes, that this was not a simple mistake. He had come looking for them. But why? “The lunchroom is two doors down on the left.”
“My apologies for interrupting.” He nodded at Decatur and left.
After the door shut behind Vulcan, Marduk assessed the blond man before her. It was all very well to get caught up in the passion of the moment but reality beat illusion every time. “Okay, what’s going on? Why are you here and why the sudden interest in me?” Her own words came back to Marduk. It would be like mating outside your species. “And don’t tell me some bullshit story about falling in love at first sight because I’m not going to believe it.”
Decatur blew out a sigh. “Fair enough. I do have a reason to be with you.”
Damn. For one moment Marduk hoped he was going to say, “The moment I saw you I knew there could be no other woman for me and I will do anything, anything at all, just to be with you.” Of course that only happened in soap operas. “And that reason is?”
“You’re not going to believe me.”
“Try me.”
“I am a vampire being manipulated by an evil bastard of a demon who wants me to get you to fall in love with me. Why? I have no idea. All I know is he wants us to be together.” Decatur stood and waited for her response.
“Huh. A vampire.” Typical. A handsome man was interested in her and he was crazy.
“Yes.”
“And you want me to fall in love with you?”
“That’s Archimedes’ plan.”
“And he’s the demon?”
“Yes.”
“Pity.”
“What?”
“Well, you look so normal and after that kiss I could almost fall for you but you’re insane.”
“Marduk, I’m telling you the truth.” Decatur’s hands reached out for hers.
She evaded them. Touching him now, after the kiss and that revelation, was a really bad idea. “I’m sure you think you are truthful.”
“I am serious.”
“Yes, of course you are.” Marduk ran a hand over her hair. A few stray hairs out of place but that was not unusual for her. She could feel her lips were swollen but if anyone asked she would just act vague. “Now, if you will excuse me, I want to get back to work.” This was not a sentence she would have normally uttered as wasting time at work was something Marduk enjoyed.
“I don’t think you know what’s at stake here.”
“I bet you’re probably thwarting evil or something. That’s the usual deal, isn’t it?” Marduk saw the sad resignation in his eyes and for one moment she wanted to believe him but she was not the gullible type. She had worked out the whole Santa Claus deal when she was four years old.
“Not thwarting it but trying to deal with it.” Decatur’s hand went to her arm.
Marduk tried to shake him off but he held fast. “Please let me go.”
“I can make you stay.”
She had no doubt about that. He was a tall hunk of a man. She was short and chunky. He had strength and agility. She only possessed feminine survival skills. “And I can give you much pain. It’s your choice.”
Decatur laughed. “How could you hurt me?”
There was something so patronizing in his response. She smiled sweetly. “Like this.” Marduk stamped her heel down on his foot. They were only short heels but she had weight behind them.
He yelped and instantly let go. “We need to do this together,” he told her between gritted teeth as he jumped on one foot to relieve pressure.
“I need nothing from you, sunshine.” Marduk wanted to make her escape before he had time to grab her again. She wasn’t silly. There was no way he would let her get away again. Decatur caught her hand in his. His eyes locked with Marduk. Suddenly the force of the moment hit her. One day very soon you will see me. We will meet and you probably won’t like me. I’ll probably annoy you and yet you won’t be able to stop looking at me and wondering, “Where do I know him from?” I’ll lift your hand to my lips, look into your eyes and kiss your palm and you’ll know who I am to you and why I waited. I want you to come to me because there is no other place you would rather be. I want to be the only man for you.
“No fucking way.” The soft, simple kiss on her palm made her body shake. “It can’t be you.”
“I love how you moan and clutch at me when you come, darling.”
Darling. No one said that one word quite like her lover did. “I—this is—um—” Marduk was lost for words. How did a dream suddenly become her
reality? She pulled her hand from his. “T-this cannot be.”
“But it is.”
“Unbelievable,” Marduk mumbled as she pushed past him out the door.
“Interesting,” Vulcan murmured as he watched the woman leave the storeroom flushed with anger. “That had to sting.” Vampires had enormous egos. To his knowledge, not many women turned down Decatur. Vulcan had thought after seeing their lips locked in passion that he would have to come up with a plan to break them apart. He didn’t want them getting together too soon. That would not suit his plan. Eventually Vulcan knew they would. That was inevitable but by that time Vulcan planned to have Archimedes where he wanted him. Mess up his plans, mess with the man.
“Right, back to the delightful Maxine.” She was, as Marduk indicated, a painful personality. However, like all the Maxines in the world, she was useful and Vulcan had learned a lot about Marduk Howell that he planned to use later if events did not go his way. After all, he was at this human hellhole called her work to keep an eye on her and Decatur. Vulcan knew the vampire would no longer be in the storeroom. He would disappear in the blink of an eye after the woman had rejected him. “No doubt he’ll be cursing Archimedes about now.” No one, especially a man, mortal or immortal, liked to be pushed around by another male. It smacked at their pride.
As Vulcan turned, he ran into Sumerian. He smiled. Of course. She was so predictable. The red-haired angel had never been one not to meddle. It was part of the reason she had gotten kicked out of heaven. Vulcan wondered if she knew the full reason and just not the sanitized version they had given her. Probably not. Sumerian was too passionate to look below the surface. Her deep green eyes only sought out injustice as she tried to save her precious innocents.
“Vulcan.” Sumerian was not surprised to see him. Vulcan always had a plan. She had followed Decatur as she followed Amory and Morphos wherever they went. She needed to know what was going on. However, neither of them did anything like come to a mortal’s place of work on the pretext of fixing a machine. From what she knew about vampires, they rarely helped anyone or fixed anything. That alone made Decatur’s movements suspicious. And that Vulcan was here? Doubly suspicious.
“Always a delight, Sumerian.”
Although he was dressed in a simple, bland business shirt and trousers, Sumerian knew the outer façade he projected was a hoax. Once, a long time ago, she thought she had seen a glimpse of the real Vulcan. It was the real reason they had gone their separate ways. Even though she was no longer an angel, Sumerian had her principles and honesty was paramount to her. However to Vulcan it belonged on a sliding scale of what suited him at any given time.
“The spectacles are a nice touch.” She saw his eyes glow in amusement behind the glasses.
“Well, you know humans, they tend to believe what they see.”
“Whereas we both know nothing is ever as it seems.”
“Very true, my dear,” Vulcan responded, his eyes never leaving hers. “You’re wondering why I’m here.”
Sumerian nodded, all the while knowing the ancient demon before her was unlikely to tell her anything but a lie. “I know you never do anything without a reason.” Sumerian had already seen the woman leave. That a vampire was pursuing a mortal woman was nothing new. That he struck out was. How strong was this woman? Was that why she was caught up in this mess they found themselves in?
“Maybe I’m a romantic at heart.”
The look Vulcan gave her made her jump slightly as Sumerian remembered a time not so long ago when she might have believed that of Vulcan. “And maybe you’re a liar.” Before the fall, Sumerian had believed in so many things. Archimedes was not the only one she had been foolish over. She had always been a pushover for a demon, wanting to believe that she could turn a bad boy good. It was madness of course but that was her nature. Vulcan had carved a notch in her heart that she thought she would never get over—and she hadn’t and he knew it. Sumerian stiffened her spine. There was no point dwelling on the past. “What are you playing at?” Vulcan was very good at games.
“You were always so suspicious, Sumerian.”
“As are you.” That was one trait they had in common.
“But you are rash,” Vulcan added as if he knew what she was thinking.
Sumerian knew she would never be allowed to forget what had happened. “He had to die. I do not regret that.” She almost bit her tongue as the words came out. She did not want Vulcan knowing any more than he had to.
“I’m not talking out him. I’m talking about us.”
She took a quick, shallow breath to strengthen herself. This was typical of Vulcan to remind her of the past and try to lead her off track from his true intentions. “There is no us.” Vulcan had made that only too obvious. The day he betrayed her was the day they ceased to be.
“Once there was, after Archimedes. Maybe I even led to your fall.”
Sumerian had no one to blame but herself for the fall. Maybe, she should not have acted as rashly as she had but that was in the past as was her relationship with Vulcan. “I know you like games, Vulcan, but I’m not playing with you today.” The lessons he taught were too painful.
“You used to like to.”
There was no response that Sumerian could give that would not incriminate her. He has used her feelings and he would again. Remember that. Remember him. Old feelings no longer count. “The woman is innocent.” It was best to get back on track. Whatever any of them planned, Sumerian could not let the woman suffer.
“The vampire is not.”
“No.” Vampires were reckless, uncaring beings who were more interested in having a good time than following rules. The breaking of those always had consequences. “I have no idea what any of you are planning to do but I will not allow her to be hurt.”
“You no longer belong to heaven, my dear.”
If Vulcan thought to wound her he was mistaken. “You’re correct. I belong to me and I do as my conscience dictates.”
“At your own cost.”
“As always it is pointless talking to you, Vulcan.” He was like the riddle of the sands, always moving and changing to suit the force of the wind as he sought to harness more power.
Vulcan smiled in delight. “And yet I find you charming.”
Sumerian rolled her eyes. There was no point in talking to him or being there. She waved her hand and disappeared.
“What a woman,” Vulcan growled in deep appreciation.
Archimedes was wild. “How could I not know?” He had tailed Sumerian to find out where she was going. She had a habit of forcing her way into his plans and disrupting them. Once he had thought it was cute. Now it was just annoying. “Sumerian and Vulcan? Together?” He still did not believe what he had just heard and seen. Archimedes had heard rumors but they had been so laughable that he had not taken them seriously. Until now. Their banter and the way they looked at each other was that of past lovers still holding on to something each did not want to completely let go of. Not only did that not suit Archimedes’ plans but a small part of him burned with jealousy at the thought of Vulcan with Sumerian. While it was true he had thrown her over long ago, Archimedes was the possessive type and always had trouble letting go of those things that had once belonged to him.
That he felt jealousy somewhat surprised Archimedes. He had cut Sumerian adrift. She did not have to explain herself to him. Besides, Archimedes knew she could not resist getting involved in things that had nothing to do with her. It was her nature. It was her downfall. However she had the ankh and that made her important to his plan and he would not allow an ancient demon to turn her head.
As for Vulcan, no one knew at any time what was going on in his head. He was in a league of his own. The perplexing question was why was Vulcan involved in playing dress-up office worker? It was not something his assistant had discussed with Archimedes. “Assistant, my ass.”
The only good thing to come out of this was seeing the woman called Marduk looking flustered and lipstick-smeared.
Regrettably she was not at the vampire’s side but he was confident she soon would be. There was nothing a vampire hated worse than having a woman turn him down or having someone know his weakness. Both woman and vampire would come together. “It’s the way it’s meant to be.”
* * * * *
Chrissie rushed to Marduk’s side. “What happened? You were in there for ages.”
“Nothing.” Something. Everything. Crap, I don’t know. One minute she was kissing him and the next he was telling her a fairytale. But it is anything but. Marduk closed her eyes as she once more remembered the taste of his mouth on hers.
“You look angry and your lipstick is smeared.” Chrissie looked pleased. “You kissed the hot guy, didn’t you?”
Oh yeah. Marduk could still feel the firm, seductive pressure of his lips on hers. “He’s psychotic.”
“Bummer.”
“Yes, as he tells it, a demon commands him and he has been sent to be with me.” He is also my dream lover. Lordy, if I said that Chrissie would think I was out of my mind. And who the hell is this Vulcan dude? If I had more sense I should have asked the man, er, my dream lover…I mean the vampire, that. That the other Smith boy had been watching was not a fluke. She felt sure of that. So what was going on? And why me?
Chrissie shook her head. “Oh, I just knew someone that good looking had to be loopy.” She nudged her friend’s arm. “What was he like to kiss?”
“Pretty damn good. It was the best kiss I have had since— Well, since maybe forever.” Or last night.
“What a shame.”
Marduk blew out a sigh. “Yeah well, you get that.”
“You know what everyone will think you were doing in there.”
“That he was fucking me up against the wall?” Marduk didn’t care what her colleagues thought. Some other bright, shiny object would take their attention away soon enough.
“No, that you’re probably the one nicking stationery supplies. You know we’ve had a rash of paper thefts.”
Marduk waved her hands in dismissal. “As if I would take paper. I’m strictly a pen and sticky notes thief.”
Decatur the Vampire Page 6
