Everlasting Embrace

by Amanda Ashley

  “So,” he asked. “Do you think we’ll see anything?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. If I don’t get any shots today, there’s always tomorrow.”

  “I’m beginning to think you’re just using your work as an excuse to spend the day at the beach.”

  “Found me out, did you?” she asked, grinning.

  He laughed. “Whatever your reasons, I’m glad to be here with you.”

  “Me, too, you.”

  An errant breeze lifted a few strands of her hair. Alex curled his hands into fists, surprised by the sudden need to smooth her hair back, to touch her and taste her. “Rylee, would I be out of line if I kissed you?”

  “No.” She leaned toward him. “And even if you were, I wouldn’t care.”

  He slipped his hand around her nape, drawing her closer, and then he kissed her, ever so gently, his mouth moving over hers in gentle exploration. “This is wrong,” he said, abruptly drawing away. “I shouldn’t…”

  “I know,” she agreed. “Very wrong.” They hardly knew each other. He was still in mourning. But it didn’t seem to matter. Leaning forward, she cupped his face in her palms and then paused.

  “Hey,” he said, “don’t stop now.”

  She smiled, then claimed his lips with hers.

  Alex combed his fingers through the wealth of her hair. It slid through his fingers like fine silk. Her lips were warm and pliable, sweeter than anything he had ever known. “We should probably stop,” he said when Rylee lifted her head, but there was no conviction in his tone.

  “You’re right,” she agreed, even as she kissed him again.

  His arm curled around her waist to draw her down on the blanket. Her body molded itself to his if she had been made for him. He had often heard the expression “sparks flew.” Now, as his tongue stroked hers, Alex knew, for the first time in his life, what it meant.

  He might have made love to her right then, right there, if the sound of amused laughter hadn’t cooled his ardor. Looking up, he saw two teenage girls clad in brightly-colored bikinis staring down at them.

  “Geez, mister,” one of them exclaimed with a grin. “Get a room!”

  Laughing uproariously, the two girls ran down the beach.

  “Not a bad idea,” Alex muttered, sitting up.

  “I guess we got a little carried away there,” Rylee said, smoothing a hand over her hair. “I—oh! Look!” Scrambling to her feet, she pulled one of her cameras from the case and ran down to the water’s edge, snapping wildly as a blue whale surfaced.

  Rising, Alex ran after her. “Hey,” he called, pointing, “is that another one?”

  “Yes! A young one.”

  It was an awesome sight, Alex thought as he watched the behemoth and her calf move gracefully through the water. And even better because he was sharing it with Rylee.

  Standing there, watching her eyes glow with excitement, Alex admitted he was in real trouble. Not from the Master of the West Coast Vampires. Not from Eduardo Tietjen’s vengeful mate.

  No, the real trouble was standing right beside him.

  They stayed at the beach until the sun dipped below the horizon, then he took her out to dinner at Red Lobster. It was late when he pulled into the Java Hut parking lot. “Can I see you again tomorrow?” he asked, pulling up next to her Mazda.

  “Gee, I don’t know. I have appointments throughout the day, and then I’m meeting a new client for dinner at seven. I’m not sure how long it will last. I’d blow it off, but it’s a deal that’s too good to pass up.”

  “How about Thursday?”

  “That would be great.” Digging a slip of paper out of her handbag, she wrote down her address. “I had a wonderful time today.”

  “Me, too.” When their gazes met, he leaned toward her. She met him halfway, her eyelids fluttering down as he kissed her.

  Feeling ten feet tall, he got out of the Jag and opened her door. When she stepped out, he gathered her gear and carried it to her car.

  “Until next time,” she said, after he’d stowed her cameras in the trunk.

  Alex smiled, then kissed her one more time. He waited until she was drove out of the parking lot before climbing into the Jag.

  “Day after tomorrow,” he murmured, and wondered how he could wait that long.

  CHAPTER 10

  Alex was surprised to find Costain sitting on the sofa, a glass of wine in hand, when he returned to the vampire’s lair. He didn’t know why he was surprised. The place belonged to Costain, after all.

  “Been to the beach again, have you?” Rhys asked.

  “Yeah, how’d you know?”

  “I can smell it on you for one thing.” Rhys inhaled deeply. “I can smell the woman, too. You’ve been with her before.”

  With a shake of his head, Alex dropped onto the sofa across from the vampire. “You know, it really sucks—you should pardon the pun—not having any secrets from you.”

  Rhys chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what Megan says, too.”

  “Have you found out any more about Tietjen’s mate?”

  “No. She’s an elusive creature. None of my contacts even knew Tietjen had a woman. I’m not sure how they managed to keep their relationship under the radar unless they never went anywhere together. It’s notoriously difficult to keep secrets in my world.”

  “Great.”

  “I’d rather talk about you and this woman. Rylee. Odd name for a female.”

  “I’d rather not talk about her.”

  “Does she know what you do for a living?”

  “No.” Hunting vampires was the only thing he had ever wanted to do. He loved the hunt. The way his mouth went dry, the way his heart raced with excitement as he pitted his cunning and strength against those of a supernatural creature.

  Alex plowed his fingers through his hair. If he intended to pursue his relationship with Rylee—he still wasn’t sure if that was a good idea—he would have to tell her the truth before things got serious. If they did. He blew out a breath. He was supposed to be searching for the monster who had killed his wife, not mooning over some beautiful, blue-eyed photographer.

  “I think you’ve got it bad,” Rhys said, with a wry grin.

  “Dammit, stay out of my head!”

  Rhys drained his glass and set it on the end table. “Well, I’ll leave you to brood. I just came by for a change of clothes.”

  Rising, Alex stretched his back and shoulders. “Listen, thanks for letting me stay here, and for the use of the Jag.”

  Rhys dismissed his thanks with a wave of his hand. “I’d stay off the streets after dark if I were you.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe my best chance of catching this killer is to make myself a target.”

  “It’s your life. If you need me, holler,” Rhys said. “Mentally, of course.”

  “Of course,” Alex said dryly.

  A shimmer in the air, and the vampire was gone.

  “Damn,” Alex murmured. “I wish I could do that.”

  Unable to sleep, Alex rolled out of bed. Thinking a drive might relax him, he pulled on his jeans and a sweatshirt, grabbed the keys to the Jag and left the Penthouse.

  Driving down Hollywood Boulevard, his thoughts drifted toward Rylee. He couldn’t remember when he’d had such a good time, or felt so carefree. Just thinking about it made him feel guilty as hell, as if he was somehow cheating on Paula.

  Dammit. He should stop seeing Rylee, not just because he was supposed to be in mourning, but because every minute he spent with her put her life in danger.

  He was in a foul mood when he pulled up in front of La Mort Rouge. He didn’t want company. He didn’t want conversation. All he wanted was to forget the wife he had lost and the woman he had found.

  The man at the door didn’t ask Alex for his name this time, just took one look at his face and waved him inside.

  It was after midnight and the club was crowded. Customers—mostly dressed in black - lined the bar. A few couples danced to the slow
, sensual music drifting through the sound system.

  Edging around the dance floor toward the bar, Alex glanced at the numbered doors as he passed by. Even as he watched, he saw a voluptuous brunette wearing a low-cut black dress, three-inch heels, and black lipstick knock on door number three and then duck inside.

  Alex frowned, wondering if she was vampire or prey.

  He spotted Costain sitting at his usual place at the end of the bar, a crystal goblet in one hand, his arm around the waist of a tall redhead.

  Rhys nodded at Alex. “Thought I told you to stay inside after dark.”

  “When I need mothering, I’ll call home.”

  “Suit yourself. Monique, this is Alex. Alex, this is Monique. Her date for tonight didn’t show up and she’s hungry. I don’t suppose you’d like to take his place?”

  Alex glared at Costain. “That’s not remotely funny.”

  “You might enjoy it,” Rhys said.

  Monique smiled at Alex. “I can guarantee that,” she promised in a voice dripping with honey.

  “Yeah, well, thanks,” Alex said. “But no thanks.”

  Monique ran one long, blood-red fingernail down the side of Alex’s neck. “If you won’t give me a drink, how about a taste?”

  “Dammit, Costain, call her off!”

  “Okay, Monique, that’s enough.” Rhys jerked his chin toward a man sitting alone at the far end of the bar. “Go see Laurant. He’s always ready and willing.”

  “Oh, all right,” Monique said with a pout. “But he’s not as pretty as this one.”

  Laughing, Rhys swatted her on the backside as she sashayed toward the other man. “It wouldn’t have hurt you to give her a taste.”

  “If you’re so worried about her, why didn’t you give her some of what you’re drinking?”

  “This?” Rhys held up his glass. Dark red liquid swirled inside. “It’s just remarkably expensive port sweetened with a splash of O-negative.”

  Alex grimaced. Turning away, he signaled the bartender and ordered a whiskey straight up.

  Rhys scowled at him. “I don’t want to have to carry you out of here again.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I remember what you said.”

  “So, what brings you here?”

  Alex shrugged. “Too late to go out. Too early for bed.”

  “What happened to the blonde?”

  “I took her home. I’m not going to see her anymore.”

  “That’s probably wise.”

  “Yeah, that’s me, Alex O’Donnell, filled with the wisdom of the ages.”

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Rhys said. “You needed a drink, you’ve got one. You need some physical relief, this place is crawling with beautiful, willing women. You need to forget the woman, I can help you there, too.”

  Alex considered it a moment, then shook his head. In spite of everything, he didn’t want Costain to wipe Rylee from his memory.

  “Just want to drown yourself in misery, huh?”

  “You’re not real big in the sympathy department, are you?”

  “Not one damn bit,” Rhys admitted gruffly. “If you’re looking for sympathy, you’ll find it in the dictionary after ‘sucks.’ Or you can go see a priest. I’m a realist. Every hunter bags the wrong prey once in a while. It was your turn. And son, you really bagged the wrong game this time.”

  “You’ve heard something,” Alex said. “Spit it out.”

  “Randolph called me a while ago. It seems you pissed off a big fish. Eduardo Tietjen’s mate is Magdalena. We all thought she was dead, destroyed in a fire three centuries ago. Apparently Tietjen found her in what was left of the building just before the sun did. He carried her off—Randolph didn’t know to where. Anyway, Tietjen hid her away, took care of her, brought her nourishment. It took a long time for her to recover and when she did, they became lovers.”

  Alex tossed off his drink and called for another. Just his luck that Tietjen’s mate considered Eduardo both savior and lover. He rubbed a hand across his jaw, thinking that if it wasn’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all. “Is Magdalena in L.A.?”

  “Randolph’s informant wasn’t sure.”

  Alex shook off his disappointment. “Thanks for the update.” He pulled a twenty out of his pocket and slapped it on the bar. “I’m outta here.”

  He needed time to think. He needed a good night’s sleep. And then he needed to see Rylee one more time so he could tell her goodbye.

  Rylee stepped out of the shower and dried off. With her hair wrapped in a towel, she sorted through her closet, looking for something to wear—something casual, but not too casual. She decided on a modest blue knit dress that had always been a favorite. She laid it out on the bed, then rummaged in the closet for the dyed-to-match heels.

  Funny, how life turned out, she mused as she ate a quick breakfast of tea and toast. Just when you thought you’d never meet Mr. Right and you were ready to stop looking, he showed up where you least expected to find him. It must have been Fate that had her accept the shoot at the beach the night she met Alex, she thought, as she brushed her teeth. The job had come up at the last-minute, and she had almost turned it down. True, the two of them hadn’t gotten off to the best of starts, but after last night, there was no denying that there was something there. Something she wanted to explore further.

  After leaving Hobson, they had gone to dinner, sharing jokes and laughter as if they had known each other for years instead of days. There had been a moment when their eyes met and it seemed as if everything else faded away and there was no one else in the restaurant but the two of them. It had been a magical moment. Of course, they would have to take it slow. He was mourning the loss of his wife and child and he needed time to grieve. However long it took, she could wait. They had plenty of time. Heck, she thought with a grin, she didn’t even know his last name.

  In the bedroom, she brushed out her hair and applied her make-up. Slipping the blue knit over her head, she smoothed it over her hips, stepped into her heels and grabbed her keys, already late for her first appointment.

  Rylee smiled at Mr. Dean Alger, pleased with the way their meeting had gone. “I’m sure I can do a good job for you, Mr. Alger,” she said, gathering her handbag.

  “I’ve no doubt of that, Miss Wagner. You come highly recommended.”

  “Thank you, sir. I look forward to working with you.”

  “And I, you. We’ll be in touch.”

  Rylee was humming as she left the restaurant. Mr. Alger and his partner were opening a new sporting goods store at the beginning of the year and they had hired her to supply photographs for their catalogue, which would be both print and digital. The best part was, she already had some great wildlife stills she had never used that would be perfect for what Alger had in mind.

  It had been a been a most productive day, she thought as she drove home. A former client had called with a new contract, she had made several calls to confirm dates and times, and now she was looking forward to her dinner appointment with Clyde Summerville—a well-known Hollywood agent who was interested in having her shoot candid photographs of some of his more famous movie star clients for his new office. If it panned out, it would be a lucrative gig, and might lead to more work from other Hollywood agents, actors or actresses.

  But it was Alex who occupied the majority of her thoughts. He had been on her mind all day, whether she was sitting at her desk filling out paperwork, answering her mail, having a late lunch with her best friend, Connie, or discussing business with Mr. Alger. If her last appointment tonight had been with Alex instead of a Hollywood agent, her day would have been perfect. But she would see Alex tomorrow. Just thinking about it made her smile.

  Now, spraying on a bit of cologne, Rylee found herself thinking of him once again. She’d had a couple of crushes in her life, but nothing epic, no break-ups that had left her broken-hearted for more than a day or two.

  She was just about to sit down and relax with a cup of tea before her meeting with Summerv
ille when the doorbell rang. Wondering who it could be, she padded into the living room to see who had come calling.

  And felt her heart skip a beat when she opened the door and saw the man she’d been thinking about only moments ago. “Alex! What are you doing here?”

  “I’m sorry. I forgot you had a late appointment.”

  “It’s all right, I have a few minutes,” she said, taking a step back. “Come on in.”

  He hesitated before crossing the threshold.

  “I was just having a cup of tea. Would you like one?”

  “No, thanks.” Too much booze and too little sleep the night before had left him hung-over and out of sorts.

  “Would you rather have coffee? I made a fresh pot a few minutes ago, but decided to have tea instead.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, sat at the small round table in front of the window while she filled a large blue mug.

  Rylee carried her tea cup and his mug to the table, then sat down across from him. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight. Is something wrong?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “Oh?” Those four words never preceded anything good.

  Alex leaned back in his chair, suddenly at a loss for words. Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure how to begin or how much to tell her. Stalling, he sipped his coffee. He could feel Rylee’s gaze on his bowed head, knew she was waiting for him to tell her what was on his mind.

  “Rylee, I don’t know any easy way to say this, so I’ll just spit it out. It isn’t safe for us to be together. I killed a vampire named Eduardo Tietjen not long ago and now his mate is hunting me. She’s the one who killed my wife. If she finds the two of us together…I don’t know what she’d do to you, but I can’t put your life in danger any more than I already have.”

  “Vampires?” Rylee glared at him. “If you don’t want to see me anymore, just say so. You don’t have to make up some preposterous story.”

  “I wish that’s what it was, but it’s true. All of it.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she said, her voice laced with anger and confusion. “There’s no such thing as vampires and everybody knows it.” How could she have been so wrong about him? The guy was a lunatic. Monsters, indeed!