by Myla Jackson
“Then you have to have confidence in me and believe they will get Madison and the other ladies out alive.” Her boss stood with his hands propped on his hips.
She stared from Tanner to Yuri and back to Tanner. If she wanted to be there when it all went down, she had to shut up and go along with their tactics. Pushing her shoulders back, she gave Yuri a cold stare. “What’s the plan?”
Chapter Seven
“How in hell you got Tanner to agree to this, I’ll never know.” Reggie wasn’t letting go of her anger any time soon. Yuri suspected that if she did, she might fall apart. The worry for her sister had to be colossal.
“I really think he wants you to keep an eye on me or vice versa.” Yuri leaned against the counter of her kitchenette, studying her as she paced from her refrigerator to the stove and back.
“You’re the vampire. It’s not as if I can easily dispose of you if you tried to do something. Hell, you can out-muscle me by at least ten to one.” She slammed a jug of orange juice on the counter and turned. “What do you want with the PIA? Can’t you fight your own kind without our help?”
“Yes, but there’s just the two of us, and Andrei’s got a few more on his side at the moment.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah. And I’m supposed to feel good about leaving my sister in that hellhole?” Her eyes filling with tears, she turned her back to him and yanked a skillet from beneath the cabinet, giving him a terrific view of black denim molded to her firm, rounded bottom.
He had to count to ten before he could think straight and then count ten more before he could form a coherent sentence. “It only makes sense to wait until midnight to catch Andrei. Tanner has people watching the warehouse throughout the day and evening in case any trucks come or go.”
“I should be there. I’m just glad he handpicked the team.” With a flick of her wrist, she turned the knob on the stove and the burner beneath the smooth surface glowed red. “I still hate to think there’s a leak in our department.” Placing the skillet on the burner, she sprayed it with cooking spray.
Yuri liked the casual ease with which she moved around the kitchen, as if she were as at home here as out on the streets busting badass monsters. “You’re a strange woman, Regina.”
She turned, a frown creasing the smooth skin of her forehead. “Me? I’m human, you’re the vampire, and you’re calling me strange?”
“Last night I saw a tough young woman stand up to a crowd of really nasty men.” He nodded at the stove and the pan. “Tonight I see a completely different side of you, working in a kitchen as if you know your way around.”
A smirk lifted the corner of her mouth. “A girl has to eat to keep up her strength. I’m not passing out on the job. My sister needs me.”
“These days, women who work in jobs like yours don’t always have the time to cook.”
“Don’t get the wrong impression. I’m not very domestic. Ask me to clean a bathroom and I’ll throw the toilet brush at you. This,” she waved her hand at the stove, “I call self-preservation. My sister was—” Her voice broke and she turned away, the moisture back in her eyes. “My sister and I live together, and she’s a really lousy cook.”
She accidently brushed her finger against the side of the pan and jerked it away. “Ouch!” Her finger went into her mouth, and she looked across the room at Yuri, as if waiting for him to say something. “Why are you really here?” she blurted out around her finger.
He wanted to answer her, but he couldn’t think past her lips. Just that little movement of putting her finger in her mouth had him salivating and wishing he were the finger. The way she’d touched him this morning still lingered in his body’s memory, crying out to finish what they’d started when she was still in the grip of his trance. Only this time, he wanted very much for her to be fully awake and participating with her eyes wide open.
The longer he stared, the wider her eyes grew, her gaze darting to his mouth.
He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist stepping closer until he stood toe to-toe with her in the middle of the kitchen. “As I told you before, I’m here to bring Andrei down.”
“No.” Her finger slipped from her lips, and she stood looking up into his eyes, hers wary. But she didn’t back away. “Why are you here in my apartment?”
“I wanted to make sure you were safe. It’s dark outside.”
“I’ve been around in the dark by myself before. I don’t need you to protect me.”
Her defiance pleased him. He liked a woman who wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself and speak her mind. Especially if she had flaming red hair, smooth, creamy shoulders and… “Did you realize your skin is the color of cream sprinkled with cinnamon?”
Her breath caught on a little gasp. “My freckles are none of your concern, and you’re changing the subject.”
“Yes, I am.” His hands came up to clasp her elbows. “I came here because I find you intriguing and I want to know you better.”
“Me?” she squeaked, and backed into the stove.
Taking it as a good sign that she hadn’t tried to knee him or hit him with the skillet, he closed the distance. His hands slid up her bare arms to her neck, his thumbs skimming her jaw. “You’re a beautiful woman, Regina Gallagher.”
“And you’re treading on dangerous ground, vampire,” she said on a whisper, her lips full and open, ready for—
The harsh scent of something burning broke through his concentration. Gripping her waist he spun her away from the stove and the smoking skillet with the blackened cooking spray.
Regina grabbed the pan and held it under the faucet, the spray hissing until the pan cooled. She stood with her back to him longer than necessary, as if avoiding the unavoidable.
What was wrong with her? He was a vampire, for God’s sake! A gorgeous vampire wearing a black trench coat, looking for all the world like he’d stepped out of a Matrix movie ready to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to have hot and dirty sex. Sweat beaded on her upper lip and between her breasts. “Don’t,” she said, surprised at how ragged her voice sounded to her own ears.
“Why, when we both feel it? Regina, it’s inevitable.” Stepping up behind her, he removed the pan from her grasp and laid it in the sink. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he turned her in his arms and stared down into her eyes, his own a piercing pale blue.
“I need to eat,” she said, her hands fluttering against his chest. She needed to eat? What was wrong with her? This vampire who looked good enough to eat was about to kiss her and all she could say was “I need to eat”? Think, Reggie!
“I need you.” He bent to take her lips, his mouth covering hers, his tongue licking at her bottom lip.
Her lips parted on a gasp. Think?
Think what?
Think about how good he felt inside her, how warm his lips were pressed to hers. How gently he touched her, smoothing his hands down her back to curl around her hips and bring her even closer.
Yuri dove in and plundered, thrusting his tongue through her teeth to duel with hers.
Thought wasn’t an option. Feeling, tasting and touching were instinctive and natural, and she thrust back with both her tongue and her hips. The hard evidence of his arousal pressed into her belly, making her want more.
Reggie’s hands crept up his chest and circled behind his neck, tangling in his hair and tugging him closer. At the same time, her lips moved against his, voicing a thought as random as this encounter. “This is wrong.”
“Maybe so, but I can’t help myself.” His kisses moved from her mouth to her throat.
Had he tried to resist the draw between them as much as she had?
Hard, sharp teeth skimmed over the sensitive skin of her neck, and she didn’t fight him. He could sink his vampire fangs deep into her jugular and drain her dry, and she’d welcome it gladly.
“You must have me in another one of your trances,” she whispered, her head thrown back to give him better access.
“No, my Regina, I want you on your
terms, no matter how hard it is to restrain myself.” He grasped the hem of her tank top and dragged it up her waist and over her head, tossing it to the kitchen table.
She could have resisted. Instead she pressed her body against his, shoving his coat from his shoulders.
When he let go of her long enough to straighten his arms, his black trench coat fell to the floor, the buttons clicking against the ceramic tile.
Skin. She wanted to be skin to skin with him, and it couldn’t be soon enough. Taking charge, she ripped his black T-shirt up and over his head, slinging it to the floor. Then her hands moved over the rivet at the waistband of his jeans and yanked it loose, sliding the zipper down with more desperation than care.
“Easy,” he said, his hands grasping hers. Then he slid his jeans down, kicking off his shoes until he stood naked and proud, his penis hard and pointed in her direction.
Reggie’s breath caught in her chest. Last time she’d seen him, she’d been in the shock of waking up from a trance. Now that she had time to study him from head to toe and all those gorgeous parts in between, she was speechless.
His sultry look turned confused. “What?” He glanced down at himself and back to her.
“Are all vampires as well-equipped?” she asked, excitement feeding through her veins like fire on dry tinder.
“Not that I go around looking at other vampire’s cocks, but I’d venture to say it’s one of the perks.” His eyes narrowed into the dark and sexy look of the hunter. “My turn.”
She stood like a deer mesmerized by oncoming headlights, frozen to the kitchen floor, her bottom leaning against the kitchen sink. When she should be remembering what happened to her father at the hands of a vampire, all she could think about was what this vampire’s hands were going to do to her.
As she stood in her bra and jeans, Reggie’s body sweltered in her own skin.
Yuri moved closer, his body calling out to the inner wanton in her.
Feeling highly overdressed, Reggie was ready to shake free of all encumbrances standing in the way of her and him.
He slid his engorged cock against her belly. Instead of telling him to get lost and running like a frightened child, she pressed closer, unable to quell the surge of unbridled lust washing over her like a tidal wave pulling her under and dragging her out to sea.
His hands tugged her jeans over her hips and downward until he knelt at her feet to lift her legs one at time, releasing her of the stiff fabric.
“I’m going to hate myself later,” she moaned, her legs spreading wider as his hands rose up the insides of her thighs.
“Maybe so, but I’m going to love you now.” His fingers slipped into her folds until he found her moist center. First one then two fingers slid in, abrading her vaginal wall with the rough texture of his hands.
Reggie squirmed, her legs spreading wider, giving him more access to her. She clamped her teeth on her tongue to keep from begging him to take her.
Dragging his moistened finger between her folds, he swirled her juices around and around the little nub of her clit, teasing but not touching the swollen tip.
When he flicked his finger against that special place, she rose on her tiptoes, her hands clutching at his hair, pulling him closer.
He grabbed her by the hips, hiked her bottom up onto the counter and replaced his finger with his tongue lapping at her hypersensitive clit in much more aggressive and sensuous strokes.
Reggie welcomed the cold countertop against her hot ass as she spiraled toward that ultimate peak. Spurred by that magical tongue laving her clit, her body erupted into a cataclysm of sensations. Her orgasm was so exquisitely intense, she didn’t realize she’d shouted out loud until she heard Yuri chuckle, his breath warm against her thighs.
“Stop laughing. You did that to me.”
“But you yell with such gusto.” He kissed the inside of her thigh and looked up at her with those wickedly blue eyes gleaming.
“Shut up and fuck me.” She tugged at his hair until he stood and wrapped her legs around his waist, his penis positioned at the opening to her pussy, the velvety head poised to plunge into her slippery depths.
He hesitated.
“Oh for the love of Mike, do I have to do everything?” She grabbed his hips and slammed him home, her cunt absorbing all of him inside, the walls stretching to accommodate his size.
As he moved in and out of her, she leaned back, her head resting against the cabinets. “Why,” she inhaled sharply as her body clenched around him, reveling in his strength, “why did you stop a moment ago?”
He pumped in and out of her, his eyelids drooping over those ice-blue eyes, his lips pulled back over his teeth, exposing the long incisors. “I was going to scold you,” he said, his voice breathless and strained.
“Scold me?” she asked as he pressed deeper. How much better could this get and she not fall apart?
“For saying fuck.” His body rammed hard on the word, and he held steady, the muscles in his arms and legs tense. “But I decided I like it when it’s you.” He pulled back slowly, hissing as he did, and then he rocked into her again, holding her hips against his.
His cock pulsed inside her, the sensation pushing her over the edge yet again. She cried out, grasping his shoulders, holding on as she rode the wave until they both coasted in to the shore and collapsed against each other.
When she could breathe again, she pushed back without breaking their intimate connection and stared down at where they were still joined, his cock hard and deep within her.
“Definitely a perk,” she said. And then the world came back to her like a train wreck. Her body stiffened, and she pushed against him. “Damn.”
“What?” He slipped free of her warm, moist center, the cool air in the apartment a shocking blast to his heated shaft. His hands retained their hold on her thighs.
“I shouldn’t have done that.” Her voice was soft and sad, and her eyes filled with tears. “I shouldn’t have made love to the enemy. Again.”
Chapter Eight
She slapped his hands away and pushed him aside, running from the room, her tight, white ass sexy even as she disappeared around the door into her bedroom.
He followed her across the living room and stood in front of her closed door. “Regina, I am not the enemy. Why do you refuse to believe me?”
“Are you a vampire?” she called out through the wooden panels.
“Yes, but not by choice.”
“Then you’re the enemy!” she shouted. “I can’t believe I just did what I did. My sister will never forgive me, and my father, God rest his soul, is probably rollin’ in his freakin’ grave. What was I thinking? Where are my black running shoes?”
Yuri smiled as he listened to her run-on ranting.
She might regret it now, but she’d be back again. He’d bet a trip into the sunshine on it. The amount of passion they’d shared couldn’t be a fleeting blip on her radar. It came from deep within her. Otherwise she would not have reacted with such vigor and intensity with a being she professed to despise.
However, if he didn’t settle the issue of Andrei Skirko and free Reggie’s sister and the other women purloined from the streets of Houston, there wouldn’t be a next time. Of that he was certain. Regina’s sister meant a lot to her. If something were to happen to her while they had been making love, Regina would never forgive herself or him.
While she busied herself in her room, Yuri returned to the kitchen. After he dressed, he cleaned the burned skillet and cracked two eggs into it.
When Reggie emerged, showered and dressed in black, he held out a plate to her. “Sit and eat.” He didn’t ask, he ordered. Knowing she’d refuse, he was prepared to take up the gauntlet.
“I’m not—”
He held up a hand. “When was the last time you ate?”
Pressing her lips together, she looked as though she might not answer. “Yesterday at noon.”
His brows rose. “And you’re arguing with me? Sit. And. Eat.” He plop
ped the plate on the table and pulled the chair out for her.
“I’m not hungry,” she said, but her gaze followed the plate to the table. “Okay, so maybe a little.” She sat and picked up a forkful of scrambled eggs.
“Hard sex tends to work up an appetite.”
She glared at him over the fork. “Don’t expect a repeat performance.” She shoved the fork in her mouth and chewed, continuing to frown.
“I don’t expect anything,” he said, leaning against the refrigerator, his arms crossed over his chest. It was true. He didn’t expect anything, but he knew she’d come around with enough of the right persuasion. If only they had more time.
A quick glance at his watch and he straightened. “When you’re ready, we need to go.”
Her fork clattered to the plate, and she stood so fast her chair teetered on two legs and crashed to the floor. “I’m ready.”
* * * * *
No matter how much experience she’d had with late-night stakeouts, Reggie couldn’t control her galloping heart rate. Hovering in the shadows across the street from the A.S.E. warehouse, she tapped her finger to the headset, hoping it was in good working order as she awaited the signal to move in.
A hand on her arm made her jump. “Don’t do that,” she whispered.
“I think he’s been dying to touch you for the past thirty minutes.” Torsten chuckled. “Not that I blame him. You do look pretty amazing in black.”
“Leave it alone, Torsten,” Yuri warned.
“You’re too obvious, Yuri,” Torsten continued. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want anything to do with you? Isn’t that right, Reggie?”
“Right,” she answered. If she said it often enough, perhaps she’d feel it. At that moment though, she was scared. Scared for her sister and scared for herself.
How had she gotten in so deep with Yuri in less than twenty-four hours? And a vampire, no less. No matter how much she damned her own actions, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d held her and touched her. Just thinking about him made her go all warm and wet between the legs.
