“No,” Val whispered, a chill rolling over her at the utter certainty in the ghost’s voice.
“Yes. Either my brother will do it, and the two of you will kill Ridgemont together, or you’ll refuse him, and the monster will murder him and enslave you.” Those black eyes started to glow with a cold, unearthly light as Abigail’s hair streamed back from her head. Her heart-shaped face grew gaunt, the translucent skin darkening, sagging. Rotting.
A piece of the ghost’s cheek plopped to the carpet to reveal gleaming bone. Her eyes bulged as her lids melted away, decaying lips blackening and shrinking from small white teeth. “But I’ll tell you this,” the lipless mouth said, “if you get my brother killed, I swear I will haunt you all your miserable, endless life.”
Jaw gaping in a silent scream, tattered bits of rotting flesh flapping around her skull, the ghost shot right at her.
Val shrieked with all the air in her lungs.
Cade was rinsing the last of the shampoo from his hair when he heard Valerie scream in utter terror. Shit, he thought. Ridgemont!
He dove from the shower, grabbed his sword off the narrow counter as he went by, and barreled out of the bathroom door. Naked and dripping, he fell into guard, lifted the blade, and scanned the room for his enemies.
But all he saw was Val, curled against the headboard in a quivering, hysterical knot. “Valerie!” He strode toward her, grabbed the twisted sheet that was still tied around the handcuffs, and ripped it in two with a yank so he could lift her off the bed. She hooked her handcuffed wrists over his head and clung to his neck, sobbing, her shaking body plastered against his. He slid a comforting arm around her waist, the other hand still holding the sword. “What happened? Did Ridgemont…?”
“No!” she gasped. “It was your sister!”
He blinked. Oh, hellfire! What had Abigail done now? “She can’t hurt you, Val. She’s a ghost.”
“She rotted, damn it! She turned into a skull, and she said if I got you killed, she’d haunt me! And then she…” Val broke off and sobbed. “Goddamn it, I feel like an idiot!”
Cade sighed and pulled her close, throwing the sword on the bed so he could hold her. “She didn’t mean it. She’s just protective.”
Val drew back to shoot him a glare through glittering tears. “The hell she didn’t mean it! You didn’t see the look on her face. While it rotted. Jesus!” She burrowed against his neck again.
“Abigail!” Exasperated, he stared around the room for her. “You come apologize this minute.”
“God, don’t call her back…”
But the ghost had already appeared next to the television, wearing a mulish expression on her undecayed face. “I am not going to apologize,” Abigail announced, glowering evilly at Val, who shrank back against his chest. “Somebody has to make her see the risk you’re running.”
“That isn’t your place.” He clung to his fraying temper and tightened his grip on his shivering captive. “Tell her you’re not going to haunt her.”
She bared her small, glowing teeth. “No. Because if she gets you killed, I’m going to.”
“Abigail…”
With a flounce of lace and petticoats, she turned and flew right though the wall. Val jerked in his arms with a gasp.
He sighed. “I’m sorry.”
She didn’t answer, instead clinging to him as her shudders subsided. Her body felt deliciously soft and yielding against his. He stroked her narrow spine and crooned nonsense in her ear, trying to ignore his hardening cock. To hold her again, touch her, even under such circumstances… it was so damn sweet. So tempting. “You know, she’s not really all that bad,” he said at last, in part to distract himself from his own rising hunger.
“Oh, right.” Val sniffed and wiped her eyes with one handcuffed wrist. “And the Headless Horseman was really a sweet guy. The whole decapitation thing was all a tragic misunderstanding. Damn, McKinnon, you’re wet.” She pulled back from him and looked down. Her eyes widened. “And naked.”
And she might as well be, he realized, heat washing through him. When Val had burrowed against his dripping body, she’d soaked that pretty mint blouse right through. Now the wet, transparent fabric clung lovingly to her exquisite breasts. A cream lace bra cupped the full mounds, but one of the cups had drooped to reveal a shy pink nipple. He stared at it. And longed to flick the little point with his tongue until it was bold and red.
“Ummm.” Blushing as furiously as only a redhead can, Val unhooked her arms from around his neck and eased away. “Don’t you think you’d better dry…” Her eyes dropped to his lengthening erection. “Off!” The last word emerged as a squeak.
It suddenly occurred to him this might be a good time to try that seduction, if only to keep her too busy to run. He gave her his best wolfish smile -- complete with fangs. “The better to eat you with, my dear.”
If the Big Bad Wolf looked anything like McKinnon, it’s no wonder Red Riding Hood ended up lunch, Val thought. Not that anyone would mistake him for somebody’s grandma. Not with that erection, anyway. She stared down at it, dry mouthed, feeling like a bird hypnotized by a snake. A very big snake.
It jutted out at her boldly, thick as her wrist, flushed dark with his arousal. The shaft was long and straight and beautiful, with thick blue veins snaking along its length, and a big, heart-shaped head. His balls nestled beneath it, cocooned in silken hair as they hung between his powerful thighs. Dazed, she let her eyes track up his body from that stunning shaft. Six-feet-three inches of sculpted masculinity…
But this wasn’t her dream hero. This was McKinnon, flesh and blood… and vampire.
Breath caught, Val stared into his eyes. There was hunger there, yes, burning and dark and thoroughly male. A hunger not for blood, but for sex. For her.
The nostrils of his straight nose flared as if drawing in her scent, and his tongue slipped out to wet his lower lip. Her gaze dropped helplessly to his mouth, remembering those burning dream kisses. Kisses she could now taste in reality if she just leaned forward…
His eyes narrowed and he stepped close again, so close her peaked nipples touched his damp skin. A bead of water slid from his wet hair and down his temple to trace a shining path along a high, arrogant cheekbone.
Heart pounding, Val watched his head dip until his mouth touched hers, just a silken brush at first, gently seductive. She knew she should step back, but desire rooted her feet to the floor. She heard a low moan of hunger and knew it was her own.
As if that helpless sound was the signal he’d been waiting for, McKinnon’s arms slid around her, pulling her against his hard, powerful body. Helpless to do anything else, Val let her lips part. His tongue glided in and circled hers. Unable to resist, she suckled the wet, teasing flesh. Growling, he deepened the kiss, his mouth hungry against hers.
His skin felt cool from his shower, wet under her hands as she wrapped her arms around him to dig her nails into his shoulders. His body was all ridges and hollows, so hard and strong she had to draw back to gasp.
He suckled thirstily at the corner of her mouth, then tasted his way down her chin until her spinning head fell back. He pressed a trail of burning kisses along the thin flesh of her neck. Val clung dizzily to him, whimpering at the intensity of her rising need. His teeth scraped her skin, a tiny pain…
And she saw her mother, twisting in agony as Hirsch sank his fangs into her throat. Remembered her dream of Cowboy feeding from that strange woman as he fucked and used her.
That memory touched off one even more frightening: Cade’s horrifying vampire Hunger seventeen years before. The experience that had scored nightmares into her brain like raking claws. A chill rolled over her, cutting through the erotic spell he’d woven so skillfully. Val jerked back, slapping her cuffed hands against his chest. “What are you doing?”
“Making love to you,” he murmured, his eyes all velvet darkness as his muscled arms tightened.
Oh, God, she thought wildly. What do I do if he won’t stop?
&
nbsp; Chapter Eight
“No!” Val tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go. “You said you wouldn’t force me!”
Cade stopped dead, staring into her face. Squeezing his eyes shut, he visibly fought for control.
She watched, tense. If he lost that battle…
McKinnon straightened his shoulders and stepped back, releasing her as his face assumed cool, expressionless lines. “And I meant it.”
He pivoted like a soldier and walked into the bathroom. Val slumped, breathing hard from fear -- and though she hated to admit it, lingering arousal.
He came out a moment later with a couple of towels. Handing her one, he draped the other over his shoulder and picked up his slacks, reaching into a pocket for the handcuff key. She held out her wrists.
“You can have the bathroom. Go change out of those wet things while I dress out here.” He briskly unlocked the cuffs, his distant tone contrasting starkly with the lingering heat in his eyes.
Val nodded and walked on shaking legs to the suitcase he’d left on the bureau. As she bent, she saw his reflection in the mirror. He was staring at her butt, his gaze simmering and feral. A shiver skated her spine.
McKinnon met her eyes in the mirror.
“I guess the vampires-cast-no-reflection thing is another myth,” she said, trying for a less incendiary topic.
“So are a lot of the things you believe about us.” A muscle ticked in his square jaw. “I’m not a monster, Valerie. If I had been, I wouldn’t have stopped just now.”
He had a point. He had stopped -- and if she was honest with herself, he could have seduced her out of her fear. He definitely could have taken her by force. Yet he’d done neither.
So maybe… maybe she really was safe.
Or not.
Val bent her head to dig through the suitcase with trembling hands. The moment she found a T-shirt and a pair of sweats, she escaped to the safety of the bathroom.
Clutching her clothes, she collapsed against the door, breathing hard. She saw the shower curtain hanging half across the tub and shuddered, the temptation to hide out dying when it occurred to her Abigail might put in another appearance.
She was dressed and back in the bedroom in less than a minute.
McKinnon had put on a pair of nylon jogging shorts that didn’t do nearly enough to cover all that magnificent supernatural skin. Both muscled arms were lifted as he briskly toweled his hair dry. Val sat on the bed and tried not to watch the bunch and play of tempting brawn as he moved, but her rebellious eyes kept drifting in his direction.
When he finished and reached for the handcuffs he’d left lying on the bed, she stirred. “Please, McKinnon. Don’t. I don’t…” She stopped and swallowed. “Between one thing and… another, I’d really rather not be cuffed. I promise I won’t try to escape.”
He gave her a long, considering stare and nodded slowly. “All right.”
“Thank you.” She let her shoulders slump in relief, then climbed quickly between the covers and flipped them up to her chin. Acutely aware that he stood by the bed watching her, Val curled up on her side facing the window. The lined curtains were thick, but she could still see the morning light filtering through. She stared at the golden glow, her eyes burning with exhaustion. It’s daylight, she told herself. I’m safe. McKinnon promised. He didn’t handcuff me when he could have. He didn’t force me when he could have. And he didn’t seduce me. I’m safe.
At least from him. If only she was so sure about all the other supernatural critters who had it in for her…
The bed gave as he climbed in behind her. A strong arm looped around her waist and pulled her back against his body. His warmth enveloped her, and tense muscles loosened along her spine. He felt so damn familiar. Despite everything -- despite his lies, despite her own traumatic memories, a part of her persisted in seeing him as Cowboy, her Texas Ranger hero.
Thinking how illogical it was to feel such a sense of safety in a vampire’s arms, Val let her gritty eyes slip closed.
* * *
Officer Ken Bratton made his morning circuit through the Corrington Sleeper parking lot. Mostly it was a waste of time, but every once in a while, he’d find a car listed on the day’s hot sheet of stolen vehicles. Bad guys liked cheap hotels.
When he spotted the black Lexus in the line of ancient Toyotas and decrepit Fords, the car caught his eye because it was so thoroughly out of place. People who could afford vehicles like that didn’t stay at the Sleeper.
Bratton scooped the day’s Hot Sheet off the seat beside him. As he half-expected, he found the car’s license tag number listed among the others that cops were to watch out for. And the description matched -- a black 2020 Lexus.
Then he frowned. The car wasn’t listed as stolen, nor was he supposed to hold the driver for questioning. Instead, anybody who spotted the Lexus was directed to call dispatch, which was in turn ordered to notify the N.Y.P.D. Which was definitely strange, since they had no jurisdiction way out here in Virginia.
But orders were orders. Bratton picked up his radio handset and made the call.
* * *
Cade lay on his side with Val curled against his body. Each time he drew in a breath, her scent flooded his head, rich with the faint, heady perfume of lingering arousal. He tried to ignore it despite the marble-hard cock resting against her sweetly muscled bottom. The Hunger was awake and prowling, prodding him to roll her onto her back and finish the seduction he’d started.
Forget it, he told himself sternly. He’d sworn to leave her alone, and he damn well wouldn’t violate her trust. Particularly considering it was astonishing that she’d trust him at all.
The fact that she slept so peacefully in his arms suddenly struck him as a rare gift. Lying there listening to her heartbeat, Cade slowly relaxed into a strange, fragile sense of peace. He knew reality would be back soon enough, but that only made him more determined to enjoy this moment. Savoring it, he drew her close against him, settled his erection against her backside, and felt the tension drain from his body.
* * *
Heat kissed Val’s face. She heard a pop and crackle and smelled the autumn scent of wood smoke riding the wind. Dragging her eyes open, she saw a campfire a few feet away, licking at the darkness from a ring of uneven stones. Dazed, she lifted her head and looked around. Moonlight painted a landscape out of a John Ford movie -- high cliffs clawing against the sky, sand, rocks, and mesquite, all of it desolate and coldly beautiful.
A chuffing noise startled her. Val turned to see a huge white horse standing a few feet away, shimmering and ghostly in the moonlight. The animal studied her with eyes that reflected the campfire, glowing eerily green.
Across the fire from her, a man lay on a bedroll, his long legs crossed in a pair of Levi’s, a white shirt straining over the powerful curves of his chest. The star of a Texas Ranger, handmade from a silver coin, gleamed against the darkness of his leather vest.
Then, with a dream’s sudden illogic, the shirt was gone, leaving nothing but the vest covering his muscled torso. Val, submerged in sleep, silently approved.
He lifted a gloved hand and pushed up the brim of his white Stetson. His eyes, black in the firelight, studied her and began to burn with masculine arousal.
Blinking, Val realized she was wearing a filmy modern negligee, lacy and thin as a whisper. Her nipples were tight pink points under the delicate fabric, and they ached, as if begging for Cowboy’s mouth.
She shifted her legs as heat gathered between them. She was wearing a tiny pair of lace panties, but as she looked at them, they too disappeared, revealing auburn curls. Val jerked her eyes up, one hand shooting down to cover her vulnerable sex.
“You don’t have to hide from me. Not here.” He rolled off the bedroll and began to crawl toward her on his hands and knees, powerful muscle bunching in his biceps and shoulders as he moved. The brim of his hat cast his face into shadow, but she saw the glitter of his eyes, watching her from beneath it.
“This is da
ngerous,” she told him.
“It’s a dream, just like all the others. What can it hurt?”
“But I know you’re real now. And you’re a vampire. I shouldn’t want you.”
“But you do.” He reared over her, the firelight outlining his broad shoulders in gold as he reached for her. “And it’s safe here. We might fear ourselves when we’re awake, but this is only a dream. Here I’m just Cowboy, and you’re just Valerie. No vampires. No Kith. No complications.”
He caught her face between his gloved hands. She took a deep breath and smelled warm leather and horse and man. His lips covered hers in gliding, silken temptation, and his tongue swirled into her mouth. He tasted of coffee and roasted meat -- and Cowboy. Her sweet dream lover.
Val relaxed and let his weight bear her backward into the bedroll. Instead of wool and rough cotton, it felt like a thick cushion of silk against her spine.
“I never liked making love on the ground,” Cowboy murmured against her lips. “It sounds more romantic than it is.”
She felt him settle over her, his arms circling her in hard male strength, the rough fabric of his denim-clad hips pressing between her legs as his long fingers took possession of her breasts. The supple leather of his gloves felt delicious as he pinched and stroked her nipples. When he rolled his hips, hot moisture flooded into her sex like cream.
“God,” he purred in her ear. “I love that smell.”
He tilted back his Stetson and lowered his head. She stared at the crown of his hat and quivered at the sensation of his tongue painting pleasure over her nipple through the thin lace of her nightgown. Big, gloved hands caressed and squeezed until she squirmed. His fingers swept down to the narrow indentation of her waist before stroking up the length of her thigh. The work-worn leather was warm, smooth against her skin.
Then he found the nest of damp curls between her legs. A leather-clad finger slid into her, and she writhed in voluptuous delight. When his teeth gently nibbled one erect nipple, the twin pleasures braided themselves together in her mind, each growing more lush in combination.
Forever Kisses Volume 1 Page 11
