She curled her hands around his biceps and squeezed. “Are you sure about that?”
“You know what I mean.”
Sofia nodded. Being close to him made her want things better left unexplored, too.
“So, you about through here?” he asked.
“Yeah. I was thinking of driving into the next town for dinner.” She hesitated. “Do you want to go with me?”
“I’m sure as hell not letting you go alone.”
She smiled up at him, eyes twinkling. “I thought you’d say that.”
“Yeah? What am I thinking now?”
She widened her eyes, then slapped him lightly, playfully. “Shame on you!”
He grinned at her. “I bet you’re thinking the same thing.”
Lifting her nose in the air, she said, “You’d lose.”
“Yeah?” His gaze bored into hers. He didn’t have to read her mind to know what she was thinking. He could smell her desire for him on her skin.
“All right, all right,” she exclaimed. “Guilty as charged.”
“I know a way we can both get what we want,” he said, his voice a husky purr.
“I’m sure you do!” Going up on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “But I’m starving.”
“So am I, darlin’,” he growled. “So am I.”
“Me first,” she said with a saucy grin, and hurried out the front door.
* * *
She chose an Italian restaurant, where she ordered rigatoni with marina sauce and a glass of red wine.
The waitress looked at Ethan, a question in her eyes.
“Just a glass of wine, thanks.”
With a nod, she went to turn in their order.
Ethan wrinkled his nose against the strong scent of olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic, and Romano cheese.
“Maybe you should go for a walk,” Sofia suggested when she saw his expression.
“I’m not leaving you alone.” He shook his head. “Italian food used to be my favorite. Now I can’t stand the smell.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I don’t want you giving up things you like on my account.”
He fell silent when the waitress returned with their drinks and a basket of warm breadsticks.
Ethan lifted his glass. “To you, Sofia Ravenwood. For giving me something to live for.”
Lifting her own goblet, she touched it to his. “To you, Ethan Parrish, for bringing a dash of excitement into my life.”
Gazing into each other’s eyes, they took a drink.
Sofia’s dinner arrived a short time later. Her meal was delicious, but she didn’t comment on it. She ate as quickly as possible, aware of Ethan sitting across the table, looking at everything but her.
When she put her plate aside, certain she couldn’t eat another bite, he insisted she have dessert. He also insisted on paying the check.
“But you didn’t even eat,” she protested as they left the restaurant.
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve never let a girl pay for her own dinner in my life, and I’m not about to start now. Besides,” he said with a grin, “I can deduct it as a business expense.” He held the car door for her, then paused. “I know how much you love this car. Do you want to drive home?”
“Are you sure you don’t mind, Mr. Macho Man?”
“Well, it might tarnish my manly image, but I’m willing to risk it for you.”
Ever the gentleman, he walked her to the driver’s side and opened the door before taking his place in the passenger seat. Throwing her a look of mock terror, he clutched the door handle when she started the car.
“Very funny,” Sofia muttered as she put the car in gear and stomped on the gas.
The Viper peeled out, leaving a layer of rubber behind.
“Geez, Sofie!” Ethan exclaimed. “I may be hard to kill, but you’re not.”
He figured it was the right thing to say because she immediately eased off the gas. “One of these nights we’ll have to find a long stretch of deserted highway,” he remarked, settling back in his seat. “Someplace where you can really open her up.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“If this bomb had a bigger front seat, I’d suggest we find a dark spot and make out.”
“Make out?” Sofia laughed. “Do they still call it that?”
“I don’t know, but you know what I mean.”
“Do you think that other vampire—Browning—is still in Morgan Creek?” Sofia asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t think so.”
“I don’t like him.”
“Smart girl.”
“Saintcrow thinks he wants to take over the town. What do you think?”
“I doubt if Saintcrow is wrong very often.”
“Doesn’t it just blow your mind that he’s lived so long? I can’t even imagine it.” She slid a glance in his direction. “You could live as long as he has. Do you ever think about that?”
“Sure. But I can’t help wondering if it’s a good thing. I mean, as long as he’s lived, he must have seen everything, done everything, been everywhere. What is there left to do that he hasn’t already done?”
It was a good question, Sofia thought as she drove across the bridge. One she hadn’t really thought about.
She parked in front of Saintcrow’s lair, smiled at Ethan as he came around to open her door. A gentleman vampire, she thought with an inward grin as she stepped out of the car.
She had never lived with a man, or had one stay the night in her apartment, and even though they weren’t doing anything in bed other than sleeping, there was something incredibly intimate about spending the night in the same house.
Excitement fluttered in the pit of her stomach as he closed and locked the door behind them. When they moved into the living room, a fire sprang to life in the hearth.
Startled, she turned to look at Ethan. “Did you . . . ?”
He winked at her. “Yeah. I thought you might be cold.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, really. I think it and it happens. Kind of cool, actually.”
Nodding, she turned her back to the flames. Even though it was really cold outside tonight, she’d noticed it was always chilly in Saintcrow’s lair.
“I guess you’re ready to turn in for the night,” Ethan remarked.
“Not really. It’s still early. Why?”
“I was just hoping to have your company a little longer.”
“We could talk awhile.” She settled on the couch, her smile an invitation for him to join her.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know.” It was hard to think with his thigh brushing hers. All her senses went into overdrive at his nearness. “Um, well, what kind of plans do you have for the future?”
“That’s what you want to talk about? My future?”
“You must have given it some thought. I mean, you could live forever. What are you going to do with all that time?”
“I’ve never thought much past tomorrow since Saintcrow turned me. There aren’t many job opportunities for a vampire. Sure, that TV vamp Nick Knight was a cop and managed to work nights, but I always wondered how he went through the academy, and how he avoided going to court. I guess he could have mesmerized his captain into giving him the night shift, but how did he learn to be a cop without going through the training? It was just TV, not real life,” he added ruefully. “I guess it didn’t have to make sense.”
“Maybe he got turned after he became a police officer?”
“Maybe. What about your future, Sofie?” he asked, his gaze holding hers. “What do you want out of life?”
“The same things as a lot of women, I guess. A home and a family. A man who loves me . . .”
“I love you,” he said, his voice whisper soft.
“Ethan . . .”
“I know. You don’t want to tie yourself to a vampire. I don’t blame you.”
“It’s not that, exactly. I mea
n, we hardly know each other. But that’s not it either. Holly seems happy enough, and I know I wanted to be a vampire once, but not so much anymore. I’ll get old and you won’t and . . .”
“Shh. It’s all right. I’m not asking you to give up your life for me. Just a few more weeks, until the work here is finished, and then . . . we’ll say good-bye.”
The word good-bye seemed to echo in the back of her mind. At the thought of never seeing him again, a single tear slid down her cheek.
“Hey, Sofie, don’t.”
His words only made her tears come faster.
He huffed a sigh, then gathered her into his arms, his hand stroking her back while her tears dampened his shirtfront. He kissed her cheek, the top of her head, and then, unable to help himself, he ran his tongue along the side of her neck. The temptation to drink from her, to drink it all and make her what he was, was nearly overpowering. She would stay with him then, he thought. With her by his side forever, being a vampire wouldn’t be a curse but a blessing.
As if she knew what he was thinking, she pulled away. Murmuring, “Sorry,” she wiped her cheeks with her fingers. “Ethan?”
The trepidation in her voice warned him that his eyes had gone red and he turned away from her, ashamed of his thoughts. He had been made vampire against his will. How could he even think of doing it to the woman he claimed to love? What kind of monster was he?
“Ethan?”
“It’s late,” he said, his voice almost a growl. “You should go to bed. And lock the door.”
She didn’t argue. Nor did she give in to the sudden urge to run out of the room. Never a good idea to run from a predator. Instead, she rose slowly to her feet and walked calmly up the stairs to her room, where she locked the door, then threw herself across the bed as more tears came.
She had known she was falling in love with Ethan, but it wasn’t until he talked of never seeing her again that she realized how much she really cared for him, and how big a hole his absence would leave in her heart.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sunday was a horrible day. It dawned cold and rainy. Sofia drove to the office/house where she spent her days. After showering, she fixed a quick breakfast and then, unable to face another minute alone in Morgan Creek, she drove to the next town and went to an early movie.
After the show, she grabbed a burger and fries from a drive-through. Glancing at her watch, she decided she had enough time to take in a second movie and still get back to Saintcrow’s before dark.
It was still raining when she left the theater. She made a quick trip to the mall, where she bought a nightgown, a robe, and slippers, Earlier, she’d asked Saintcrow to go to her place and pack her a suitcase, but he’d neglected to bring anything for her to sleep in. She made one more stop for some take-out chicken before heading back to town. The weather perfectly suited her mood, she thought as she crossed the bridge. She had cried herself to sleep last night and it had showed in the mirror this morning. There were dark shadows under her eyes, but not as deep or dark as the ache in her heart.
She parked the car in front of Saintcrow’s place, went inside, and locked the door. She felt as if she was being watched as she turned on all the lights in the spooky old house. Sitting on the sofa, she picked at her dinner, then put it aside.
What was she going to do about Ethan? She could stay with him for a few years, but the longer they were together, the more difficult it would be to leave him.
She could let him turn her into a vampire.... She tried to imagine herself living only by night, stalking innocent victims, stealing their blood, maybe accidentally killing one or two . . .
Sofia shook her head. Why had she ever thought she wanted to be a vampire?
She could just end her relationship with Ethan now and go home. But she quickly rejected that idea, too.
There seemed no easy answer, she thought, blinking back her tears. No way to find a happily-ever-after ending with her vampire.
* * *
Ethan stood out of sight in the hallway, growing more and more discouraged as he caught snatches of Sofia’s troubled thoughts. Maybe he should make it easy for her and just disappear. Saintcrow would look after her if she decided to stay on as his bookkeeper until the renovation was complete. And if she wanted to leave, the master vampire could probably find her another job. There seemed to be no end to his sire’s talents.
As usual, anger roused his hunger and, with it, the desire to kill something. Frustrated, he willed himself out of the house, then strolled down the hill, his curses filling the air. He didn’t need a mortal lover. And he didn’t need his sire. Who the hell was Saintcrow, to tell him what he could and couldn’t do? The vampire was ancient. No doubt he had killed dozens, maybe hundreds of people in the past. What gave him the right to tell Ethan he couldn’t take a single life?
He let out a gasp of mingled surprise and pain as a pair of strong hands locked around his throat from behind.
“I’m the one who holds your next breath in his hands.” Saintcrow’s voice, soft, compelling—his breath as cold as the grave against the back of Ethan’s neck.
Ethan clawed at the fingers digging into his flesh, but to no avail. It was like trying to pry open a steel trap.
“You want to take a life?” Saintcrow asked. “Very well. Come with me.”
Before Ethan could answer, he found himself in a dark alley, though with his preternatural vision, he saw everything clearly—the overflowing trash cans, the wizened old man clad in rags, sucking the last drops of cheap wine from a bottle.
“Take him,” Saintcrow said. “I give him to you.”
Ethan grimaced. The man smelled worse than the garbage.
“What’s the matter?” Saintcrow asked with a sneer. “Not good enough for you?”
Saintcrow grabbed Ethan’s forearm, and when the world stopped spinning, he found himself standing in the middle of a high-class nightclub. He frowned when he realized no one in the room was moving. The patrons stood as still as statues.
Saintcrow pointed at a young woman. She was flawlessly beautiful, with a wealth of long blond hair and deep blue eyes. The red dress she wore outlined a figure as perfect as the rest of her.
“Is she more to your liking?” his sire asked. “She’s yours.”
Ethan shook his head.
“Come, don’t be squeamish. You wanted to kill something.” Saintcrow took the woman in his arms and sank his fangs into her flesh. At his touch, whatever spell she’d been under vanished. But she didn’t fight, merely stood acquiescent in Saintcrow’s arms, her eyes unfocused.
The scent of warm, fresh blood filled Ethan’s nostrils, drawing him toward the woman. He caught her in his arms when Saintcrow shoved her toward him. “Drink, vampire. Drink it all.”
Ethan stared at his sire. Was this a test? He didn’t care. His fangs descended, and he buried them in the woman’s throat. Her blood was warm and rich, and as he drank, he caught snatches of her past, experienced her joy, her pain, her hopes for a long and happy life with the man she loved.
The hunger burning inside him urged him to take it all, every last crimson drop. But he couldn’t do it. He sealed the wounds in her neck, then thrust her away from him. “She won’t die, will she?”
“No. She’ll be a little light-headed, that’s all.” A wave of Saintcrow’s hand and the spell in the room was broken. No one seemed aware that anything unusual had taken place. “Let’s go.”
They left the club by the back door.
“Well,” Saintcrow said, “what happened? I thought you wanted blood.”
“I couldn’t do it,” Ethan said flatly.
“Why not?”
“You know why not.”
“Because you’re not a born killer,” Saintcrow said. “In most cases, becoming a vampire doesn’t change who you are.”
“You’ve killed.”
Saintcrow nodded. “I was born to it. You were not.”
“So, if I’d been on my own and found some random wo
man, I wouldn’t have taken her life?”
“Under normal conditions, no. But there could be extenuating circumstances that you might not be able to resist. If you’re in desperate need of blood to survive, or badly wounded, your sense of self-preservation will kick in.”
“If I’d killed that woman tonight, would you have destroyed me?”
“I wouldn’t have let it go that far. But my warning still stands. I made you. Any life you take is ultimately my fault.”
Ethan nodded, deeply relieved by Saintcrow’s assurance that he wasn’t a murderer by nature.
“You ready to go back?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t like the idea of Sofia being alone in Morgan Creek, with no one to protect her.
A thought, and Ethan materialized in front of the hotel moments after his sire.
“Have you heard any more from Browning?” Ethan asked.
Saintcrow shook his head. “If we’re lucky, we’ve seen the last of him.”
“But you don’t think so?”
“No. But I’m not going to worry about it now,” Saintcrow drawled with a wicked grin. “There’s a pretty woman in my bed in New Orleans, eagerly awaiting my return.”
Ethan nodded, wishing he could say the same.
* * *
Hands shoved into his pants’ pockets, Ethan materialized inside the living room of Saintcrow’s house. He hadn’t really expected Sofia to be waiting for him, but he was disappointed just the same.
He made his way up the stairs, heading toward the turret room. He paused on the second floor, his feet carrying him to Sofia’s bedroom. He frowned when he heard nothing but silence from the other side of the door. He knew before he looked inside that she wasn’t there.
Fear shot through him. Closing his eyes, he opened his senses, searching for her heartbeat. He was stunned when her scent led him up to the turret room.
“Sofie?”
Sobbing his name, she stepped out from behind the tapestry and fell into his arms.
“What are you doing up here?”
“I woke up and you were gone. I heard someone trying to open the front door and I ran up here because I couldn’t think of anywhere else to hide. Was it you?”
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