It still came as a shock, how easy it was to transport himself to the nearest town, find a suitable female, and quench his hellish thirst. What wasn’t easy was stopping. But whenever he was tempted to take it all, he had only to remember Saintcrow’s threat to destroy him if he took a life.
* * *
Ethan was a nervous wreck as he dressed for his date with Holly’s sister-in-law. He hadn’t been this unsure of himself when he was sixteen and went on his first date with Connie Shoemaker. He had always had more than his share of self-confidence where women were concerned. He’d never had any trouble getting dates in high school or college, and certainly not since then.
But the old Ethan didn’t exist anymore. And he still wasn’t sure who the new Ethan was.
He ran a comb through his hair, slapped on some cologne, looked up Sofia’s address on his phone, and transported himself to her location, a second-floor apartment in a four-story building.
He took several deep breaths. And rang the bell.
* * *
Sofia smoothed her hand over her hair before she opened the door, felt her jaw drop when she saw the man standing in the hallway. Holly had said he was handsome, but this guy was gorgeous with his shaggy blond hair and dark brown eyes. His shirt emphasized his broad shoulders, his jeans clung to slim hips and long, long legs.
“Sofia?”
And that voice—like chocolate over black velvet. “Ethan?”
He nodded.
“Hi.” Taking a step back, she said, “Please, come in, vampire.”
He flashed her a wry grin, felt a shimmer of preternatural power as he crossed the threshold. “I thought you lived with your parents.”
“I did.” Closing the door, she led him into the living room. “I got a job a couple of months ago and moved here to be closer to work. Sit down, won’t you?”
He sat on the sofa, hands resting on his knees.
“Can I get you a glass of wine?”
“Sure, thanks.” It was the only thing—besides blood—he could keep down. He glanced around the room while she went into the kitchen. The walls were a sunny yellow, the curtains white, the floor hardwood. The furniture didn’t match, but it all seemed to blend together. Family photos hung on one wall.
“Tell me about yourself.” She handed him a goblet filled with dark red liquid, then sat in the green plaid chair across from the sofa.
He swirled the wine in his glass. “I’d rather not talk about my past, if that’s okay with you. None of it matters anymore. As for the here and now . . .” He shrugged. “I’m still trying to find my way.”
“Of course. I understand.” Although she didn’t, not really. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to just wake up and be a vampire. Holly had chosen to be turned. She had known what she was getting in to. But Ethan . . . her heart went out to him. He really seemed lost.
“Holly said you liked vampires.”
“I used to be obsessed with them.”
“And now?”
“I still think they’re fascinating.”
Ethan snorted.
“Well, it’s true! I even asked my brother to turn me, although I’m not sure I want that anymore.” In as few words as possible, she told him about Leticia Braga’s attack on her family. “After that, I sort of changed my mind.”
“I can see how that could happen. So, if you’re over your obsession with the Undead, why did you agree to go out with me?”
She shrugged. “Holly asked me to,” she replied candidly.
“So, it’s a pity date,” he said dryly.
Sofia laughed. “In a way. But mainly I was curious. She had told me about you. She even promised to introduce us at the wedding, but you never showed up.”
“Yeah.” He sipped his wine, remembering that night. “I was attacked and bitten by a vampire. Saintcrow—do you know him?” At Sofia’s nod, he said, “Well, Saintcrow found me. He turned me into a vampire and took me to some ghost town.”
“Morgan Creek?”
“You’ve heard of it?” he asked, surprised.
“Micah told me about it.”
“Right. Well, Saintcrow kept me there for a couple of months to teach me how to be a bloodsucker.”
Sofia didn’t miss the bitterness in his voice. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, although it seemed woefully inadequate. “Do you still want to go to the movies?”
“If you want, or I can just leave.”
She reached out, her hand covering his. “Don’t go.”
Ethan stared at her hand. It was small and warm. No woman had willingly touched him in months. He looked up, his gaze meeting hers. Was he imagining things, or had something magical just sparked between them?
Chapter Three
Sofia stared at the screen, although she had no idea what the movie was about. She had spent the whole time sneaking glances at Ethan, admiring his strong profile, trying to imagine what he was thinking, feeling. Micah had made her promise that if she ever decided she wanted to be a vampire, she would let him be the one to bring her across. Something about it being important who your sire was. Good sires stayed with their fledglings, taught them the ropes, so to speak, made sure they understood the ins and outs of vampire life. Micah’s sire hadn’t done that. According to Micah, neither had Saintcrow’s. She thought it likely Saintcrow had decided to teach Ethan because he knew exactly what it was like to be abandoned by the one who made him.
She had met Saintcrow. The fact that he was compassionate enough to look after Ethan surprised her. Granted, she didn’t know the master vampire very well, but he seemed a formidable creature with few scruples. Still, she was eternally grateful to him for saving the lives of her family from that monster Leticia Braga.
She slid another glance in Ethan’s direction, startled to find him staring back at her. Heat warmed her cheeks. Caught in the act!
Their gazes met and held for stretched seconds and then, giving her plenty of time to back away, he leaned toward her.
Sofia’s breath caught in her throat as his lips brushed hers. They were cool, softer than they looked.
He pulled back, his gaze searching hers before he leaned in again, his hand cupping her nape as his mouth covered hers a second time.
The world as she knew it came to a screeching halt. The theater fell away. She heard nothing, saw nothing, as she sank into his kiss. The wine he’d had earlier lingered on his tongue, intoxicating her still further. She cursed the armrest between them. Then again, maybe it was a good thing. Otherwise, she might have climbed onto his lap.
She wasn’t aware that the movie had ended until the lights came up and someone behind them shouted, “For crying out loud! Get a room!”
Face hot with embarrassment, Sofia shrugged out of Ethan’s arms. “Let’s get out of here.”
Cheeks burning, she hurried out of the theater.
Still not certain what had happened—certainly nothing that had ever happened before—Ethan followed her. He had kissed dozens of women in his time, but he had never experienced anything like that. Even now, he couldn’t explain it, but it had been far more than just a kiss. Had she felt it, too, that almost mystical sense of connection? Or was he just imagining something magical because he was feeling so damn lost and alone?
Ethan cleared his throat. “In my other life, I would have suggested we go get something to eat, but . . .” He shrugged. “Would you like to go get a drink?”
Not quite trusting her voice, Sofia nodded.
“Any place in particular you’d like to go?”
“There’s a nice place right down the street.”
Side by side, not quite touching, they strolled down the sidewalk.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Sofia remarked.
“Yeah.” He had never really appreciated the night until he became a vampire. His preternatural senses made him aware of sights and sounds that had been denied him as a mortal man. The night itself seemed alive, as if he could reach out and touch it. One of his new powers
allowed him to sort of meld into the darkness until he became invisible. Sometimes, when he was inside, the night called to him, entreating him to come out and bask in the darkness, bathe in the moon’s light.
“We’re here.”
Ethan halted abruptly, only then realizing Sofia had stopped several paces behind him. Turning, he closed the distance between them and opened the door to the nightclub.
Like all clubs, this one was dimly lit. Round tables ringed the dance floor; the bar, long and curved, anchored the far end of the room. An old rhythm-and-blues tune wafted from speakers mounted near the ceiling.
“Do you come here often?” Ethan asked as they made their way to an empty table.
“Not often, no.”
He held her chair for her. “What can I get you?”
“A tequila sunrise, please.”
“Be right back.”
Sofia noticed his taut backside as he walked away, but her mind still lingered on the kisses they had shared in the theater. She had been kissed before, though not terribly often. Her parents had been rather strict, especially with their two youngest daughters. Plus, she had four older brothers who had been very protective of their little sister. Sofia wasn’t sure what had happened when Ethan kissed her, but it had been . . . magical, she thought. That was the only word to describe it. All it had taken was one touch of his lips to hers and she had been lost. But the last kiss . . . there was no earthly way to describe its effect on her senses.
“Here you go.”
She smiled as she accepted the glass he offered, glad he couldn’t read her mind. “Thank you.”
He sat across from her and, to her chagrin, she found herself imagining them at home, alone in her room. In her bed . . . What on earth was she thinking? She didn’t even know the man, and he certainly didn’t know her. What was it with him anyway? She had never been attracted to a man so quickly before. Being alone with Ethan Parrish when there was a bed in the vicinity was definitely not a good idea.
And then she frowned. Was she really attracted to him? Or was it just his inherent vampire allure she found so irresistible? She had read about that kind of thing in books. It was supposed to be something all vampires possessed. It made it easier for them to lure their prey.
Prey! Was that what he saw when he looked at her?
Ethan frowned, confused by the wary look in Sofia’s eyes, the sense of apprehension suddenly radiating from her. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know.” She sipped her drink to avoid looking at him.
“Sofie, what’s going on?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“Do you think of me as prey?” she blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth.
“What?”
“I . . . nothing . . . it was in a book I read.”
Ethan frowned. “What book?”
“I’ve read a lot of books about . . .” She lowered her voice. “About vampires and how they all have this built-in charisma that makes it easy for them to attract their victims and . . .”
“Built-in charisma?” He stared at her as if she were speaking a foreign language.
Sofia nodded. “It’s true. Ask Micah or Saintcrow.”
“So, that’s what you think?” he asked incredulously. “That I’m exerting some kind of super sexual power to entice you to my lair?”
Sofia blinked at him, then burst out laughing.
“What’s so damn funny?” he asked gruffly.
“I’m sorry, but it all just sounds so silly when you put it like that,” she said and then frowned. “Unless that’s what you’re really doing.”
Ethan shook his head, then pushed away from the table. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“Wait.”
“Why?”
“Sit down, please.”
Somewhat reluctantly, he did as she asked.
“It’s just that, in the theater, you kissed me . . . and now, sitting here . . .” Sofia knew she was blushing, something she had done frequently this evening. “I’ve just never been this attracted to someone I just met.”
“Yeah? Well, me either.”
“Seriously?”
“Dead serious.” He grinned as he realized how that sounded. “Why did you want to be a vampire?”
“I’ve been intrigued by them ever since I was a little girl. I think it all started when I saw that old George Hamilton movie. He was funny and handsome, and as I grew older, I realized he was also very sexy. And I loved the whole never-getting-old thing and being able to turn into a bat and . . .” She stuck her tongue out at Ethan when he started laughing.
“I’ve never met a woman like you. Most little girls want to be supermodels or Wonder Woman. You want to be a bloodsucking creature of the night.”
“Is that how you see yourself ?”
He shrugged. “It’s what I am.”
“Well, let’s see. Do you go around killing innocent people?”
“Of course not.”
“Do you kidnap children?”
“No.”
“Are you committing unspeakable acts of terror?”
Ethan laughed despite himself. “You’re something else, you know that?”
“So are you.” She smiled as something warm and intimate passed between them. “This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”
His eyes grew dark, intense. “Nothing worth fighting for ever is.”
“Do you think I’m worth fighting for?”
“Definitely.”
“You probably won’t have to fight very hard,” she murmured. And knew she was blushing again.
“Would you like to dance?”
She nodded, her heart skipping a beat at the thought of being in his arms.
The club’s dim interior added to a feeling of intimacy, as did the music, which was soft and slow as he led her onto the floor and took her in his arms. She had no trouble following his lead. She had always wondered how people could gaze deeply into each other’s eyes without laughing. Now she knew.
Ethan pulled Sofia closer. He was completely smitten with her. She was beautiful and funny and seemed totally at ease with what he was. For a few minutes, he had forgotten he wasn’t human, but now, holding her close, all his hunting instincts kicked in. The rhythm of her heartbeat, the scent of the blood flowing warm and sweet and satisfying through her veins.
He cursed under his breath as the hunger he’d thought under control roared to life. His fangs ran out, and he knew his eyes had gone red. He wanted her. Heaven help him, he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything.
With a hoarse, “I’ve got to go!” he spun away and left her standing there, alone, in the middle of the dance floor.
Chapter Four
“I don’t know what the heck happened tonight,” Sofia lamented. Cell phone in hand, she curled up in a corner of the sofa, one foot tucked beneath her. “One minute we were gazing into each other’s eyes and the next—poof!—he was gone.”
“Didn’t he say anything?” Holly asked.
“He said he had to go, and he wasn’t kidding. He left me stranded on the dance floor.”
“Well, I’m just guessing, but he might have felt like he was losing control.”
Sofia frowned. Losing control? Of course! She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “I must be an idiot.”
“Why do you think that?”
“It’s so obvious. I mean, I’ve read enough books and had enough talks with Micah to know what stirs a vampire’s hunger.”
Holly snickered. “I’m guessing there were some sparks between you.”
“Sparks!” Sofia exclaimed. “We could have started an inferno.”
“Well, there you go. So, do you like him?”
“You have no idea. I’ve never felt this way about a guy so soon. How do I know if it’s even real?”
“I guess you’ll just have to go out with him again.”
“I’m no
t sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? He seems to have a handle on things.”
“If that was true, he wouldn’t have gone storming out of the club.”
“I’d say that proves he does. After all, he didn’t bite you or anything.”
“Well, he was darn close to it. His eyes went red just before he left. I know what that means!” Sighing, she murmured, “I don’t know whether it’s a good idea to see him again or not.”
* * *
Ethan stalked the dark streets of the city, his hunger growing with every step he took. He knew he should feed. Saintcrow had warned him that waiting was dangerous, that if he waited too long he might accidentally kill his prey. Saintcrow had also warned Ethan that, if he killed anyone except to save his own life, he would destroy him. Well, hell, maybe that was the answer!
He had been so sure he was in control tonight. He had fed before he went to Sofie’s, but somewhere on the dance floor, his control had slipped away and all he could think about was sinking his fangs into her throat.
He turned the corner at the end of the street, coming to an abrupt halt when Rylan Saintcrow materialized in front of him. Ethan bit off a curse. “What the hell are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Scotland?”
Saintcrow lifted a brow. “Did you think I wouldn’t know what’s troubling you?”
Ethan stared at him. How was that even possible when Saintcrow had been thousands of miles away?
Saintcrow tapped a finger to his temple. “I made you, remember? I’ll always know when you’re in trouble. Or when you need help.”
“Great.” Ethan started walking again.
Saintcrow fell in beside him. “Do you really think destroying you is the answer?”
“You don’t know what I’m going through.”
“The hell I don’t. I’ve been there, and I didn’t have anyone to help me through it.”
“I don’t know what you can do,” Ethan muttered.
“You haven’t killed anyone yet. You left before you attacked Sofia. I’d say you’re doing okay.”
Ethan ran a hand over his jaw. “How do I separate my hunger from my lust?”
“I grant you that’s not easy.”
Twilight Desires Page 2
