Seth smiled. “They turned out very well for you.”
“They can turn out well for you, too. I know—more than anyone save David—the burden you carry. I know the toll being a leader takes, how much you give of yourself, how much you sacrifice.”
There had been over a hundred vampires in the army Bastien had raised. He had tried to save every one of them, yet only Cliff remained. Seth knew that ate at him.
Bastien continued, “Find what happiness you can. The rest of us will help you guard and protect her. And together we’ll defeat Gershom’s sorry ass while we do it.”
Seth shook his head and ceased whispering. “Melanie has been a good influence on you.”
Bastien frowned. “Ah hell. I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
“Doing what?”
“Being nice.”
“Yes.”
Bastien raised his voice, though he didn’t need to. “See what you’ve done to me, woman?”
“I’ll do a lot more to you,” she retorted, a smile in her voice, “if you’ll bring your gorgeous ass back in here.”
Bastien grinned. “Damn, I love her.”
As soon as Leah felt better, Seth teleported her to his bedroom in David’s home.
“Teleporting is awesome!” she exclaimed with a big grin. “And I didn’t get dizzy this time. Not as much, anyway. Can you teleport anywhere in the world?”
“Just about.”
“When all the hubbub dies down, will you teleport me to the Great Pyramids of Giza? I’ve always wanted to go there but couldn’t afford to.”
“Absolutely,” he promised with a smile. He was so damned relieved to see her looking hale and hearty again.
Grinning, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him an exuberant hug. “Thank you!”
Seth hugged her back, relishing her nearness after he had come so close to losing her.
“Where are we?” Her face lit with curiosity as she stepped away. “What is this place?” Turning, she began to meander around the room.
An enormous bed, specially designed to accommodate his height, dominated one side of the room. A long sofa, ottoman, and flat-screen television resided on the other. Though Seth normally had little to no downtime, David had insisted he have a nice bedroom suite in which to enjoy some solitude whenever he could. Two doors adorned the wall beyond the bed. One led to a closet full of standard black hunting togs with a few pairs of jeans and a suit thrown in. (He’d had to add the latter when immortals in the area began to marry.) The other door led to a large bathroom.
“This is beautiful.” Leah set her phone down on the ottoman. “It’s like one of those fancy hotel rooms I’ve seen on TV that costs thousands of dollars per night.”
He smiled. “It’s the room I stay in when I visit David’s home.”
She cast him a speculative look. “This is your room?”
He nodded. “It’s the safest place I could think of to bring you.”
Her gaze skipped to the bed. “And that’s your bed?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a big bed.”
“Yes, it is.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Will you be staying here with me?”
He slid his hands into his pockets. “Would you like me to?” He held his breath, awaiting her answer.
Her pretty face sobered. “Yes. I’m trying not to show it because this all seems pretty par for the course for you, but tonight scared the hell out of me, Seth.”
Regret and self-recrimination battered him. “I’m so sor—”
She held up a hand. “Don’t apologize again. None of this is your fault. It really isn’t.” With slow steps, she moved to stand before him. “I know I teased you earlier about trying to rob the cradle and cop a feel. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to use this as an excuse to pressure you into a more serious relationship. That’s not what I’m asking for right now. I’m just… shaken. I don’t want to be alone. And I can’t think of anyone I would rather have hold my hand tonight while I try to pull myself back together. Okay?”
Reaching out, he twined his fingers through hers. “Okay.”
“I’ll take the sofa…” She grinned as she motioned to it. “Because holy crap, that’s a huge sofa! It’s like a freaking queen-sized bed.”
He laughed. “I have long legs.”
“I do, too, so I’m going to love it.”
“I would rather you take the bed while I take the sofa.”
“That’s not necessary, Seth. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight anyway, so I’ll probably just sit and watch TV until the sun rises.” She glanced down. “Can I use your shower first though? I’m all bloody and gross.”
“Of course.” Still holding her hand, he led her into the bathroom and flipped on the light.
“Wow. You guys are loaded, aren’t you?” she asked as she looked around.
Again he laughed. “We’re very comfortable financially, yes.”
“Seriously, I could swim in that tub,” she said, admiring it. “I mean, I could lie down in the bottom of it, reach my arms above my head, and would barely be able to touch both ends.”
He shrugged. “David wanted to ensure I could stretch out in it comfortably.”
She turned her attention to the shower. “Ooh! Look how high the showerhead is. Awesome! I won’t have to duck down to rinse the shampoo out of my hair like I do in mine. Someone really short must have lived there before me.”
He grinned, loving how much she was loving his bathroom.
“And look.” Opening the shower door, she drew him in after her. The glass walls that enclosed them left plenty of elbow room. “It’s big enough for two,” she said with a wink.
He shook his head as his damned body responded to the image of the two of them naked in the shower. “Don’t tempt me.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. I said I wasn’t going to do that, didn’t I? Something about you just really brings out the flirt in me.” She led him out of the shower.
“Just me?” he couldn’t resist asking. Imagining her flirting with other men brought on an acidic surge of jealousy.
“Just you,” she confirmed, then leaned closer to whisper, “which is why I’m filing away the big-enough-for-two shower-and-tub thing for future reference.”
He laughed. Giving her hand a squeeze, he released it and crossed to a cabinet. “Here are some fresh towels.” He took two down, one for her lovely body and one for her hair. “Soap, shampoo, and conditioner are already in the shower. There’s more by the bath if you would rather have a nice long soak.”
“Any chance I could talk you into keeping me company for that soak?” she asked with a smile, then frowned. “Damn it. I did it again. Sorry. Forget I asked that. I’m just… out of sorts and really don’t want to be alone.”
Seth hesitated. If he stayed while she bathed, there was no way in hell he’d be able to keep his hands off her.
“I’ll just take a quick shower.” She bit her lip. “There is one problem though. I didn’t bring any clothes with me.”
Seth partially closed the bathroom door, allowing her to see the long garment that hung on the back of it. “You can borrow my robe. If you like, I can call Chris and have one of the women on his crew collect some of your clothing and deliver it when they’re finished.”
“That would be great. Maybe he could ask Cynthia to do it? She seemed nice.”
“I’ll see to it now.”
“Thank you. Now hurry up and leave before I blurt out another flirty response.”
Chuckling, he headed into the bedroom and closed the door.
Much like the network, every bathroom in David’s home was soundproofed, so he couldn’t hear Leah’s movements within.
Well, since he was so old and powerful, he could if he really strained to hear her. But Seth didn’t think that wise considering how much he wanted to get naked and join her. He was having a hard time quelling the desire that pumped through him at just th
e thought of her taking her clothes off.
A quick call to Reordon ensured Cynthia would pack a bag for Leah and deliver it in the morning. Seth felt a moment’s guilt. David always kept a substantial wardrobe on hand for both males and females in a variety of sizes for any immortals or Seconds who dropped by and wanted to change out of bloody clothing. There was bound to be something that would fit Leah, but…
He wanted to see her in his robe. It was the closest he could get to doing what he really wanted to do: wrap himself around her and never let her go. He was feeling very protective. Very possessive. Leah was his. He’d nearly lost her tonight. And he didn’t want to leave this room.
But he would have to eventually. Duty always called.
He frowned, surprised that duty hadn’t already done so.
Reaching into his pocket, he drew out his cell phone and stared at it intently. David, he called telepathically.
Yes?
Why isn’t my phone ringing?
I told Darnell to redirect your calls to Zach and Jared. How is Leah?
He glanced at the bathroom door. I healed her wounds and Melanie gave her a transfusion. She’s shaken up but handling it well.
She’s strong.
Yes, she is.
Seconds passed. What troubles you? David knew him better than anyone.
Seth hesitated, aware of how much his next words would reveal. I don’t want to leave her.
Then stay with her, David replied, unruffled. Zach, Jared, and I can field your calls.
Seth stared down at his toes, unaccustomed to shirking his duties.
Open your door.
Crossing to the door, he opened it.
David stood outside. In his arms, he held three large bags of chips and several bottles of tea and club soda. Here.
Surprised, Seth tucked his phone away and took the goodies. Where did you get these?
David’s lips twitched. Sheldon walked by, carrying them. He and Tracy are enjoying a movie night while they keep tabs on Richart, Jenna, and Lisette.
Did he object to your confiscating his snacks?
No. That boy is always offering others food.
Seth smiled. He’s a good kid. He didn’t even ask who they were for, did he?
No. Now stop worrying. And stop feeling guilty. It’s time you had something—and someone—of your own Seth.
That meant a great deal coming from David… and damned near precisely parroted Bastien’s and Chris’s words. Thank you. Do the others know Leah is here?
No. They know you are because the devices they carry beeped, but they think you’re alone.
Thank you again.
Nodding, David reached in and pulled the door closed for him.
Seth set everything down on the sofa, then shrugged out of his coat and hung it up. He had just finished arranging the chips and drinks on the ottoman when the bathroom door opened.
Steam poured out, preceding Leah.
As soon as she stepped into the bedroom, Seth’s breath caught.
Her brown hair looked black when wet and was slicked back from her beautiful face. Her pale skin still bore a glimmer of moisture from the steam and provided stark contrast to the black robe she wore. His robe, which swallowed her, the sleeves falling past her fingertips, the hem dragging on the floor.
His gaze fell to her long legs. Because the robe trailed behind her, it parted above the knees every time she took a step. Leah had worn pants every time he had seen her with one exception—the time he’d called after fatally wounding Roland and she’d invited him over to dance. Those long, lovely legs of hers had been bare then too, her tempting ass covered by tight bike shorts.
Well, nothing covered her ass now underneath that robe. Knowing she was bare beneath it made his pulse pound and his body harden. His hands curled into fists as she approached. He didn’t realize until she stood right in front of him—close enough to touch, close enough to feel her warmth—that she had been speaking to him.
He raised his gaze from the cleavage he desperately wanted to bury his lips in and met her gaze. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
Smiling, she reached up and pressed a palm to his cheek. “Your eyes are glowing.”
Damn it. Of course they were. He hadn’t had so much difficulty suppressing that particular trait in millennia.
She gave the stubble on his jaw a little pat. “Go shower. Then we’ll watch a movie together. How does that sound?”
The only thing that would sound better would be her joining him in the shower. “I’ll be quick,” he promised. And the shower would be a very cold one. Striding over to the closet, he drew out clean clothes, then headed into the bathroom and closed the door.
An hour later, Leah munched another chip as she watched a couple on-screen race madly away from men with guns who were intent on killing them. She and Seth sat shoulder to shoulder on the sofa, both slumped down until they were practically lying on their backs. Seth had pulled the matching ottoman up against the sofa, so it really did feel as if they were lying in bed together, watching a movie.
She slid him a covert glance.
He had donned black cargo pants and a black T-shirt after his shower but had left his big feet bare. He had also left his hair loose. It now spilled over the back of the sofa in a glossy curtain, the thick wavy tresses still drying.
He chuckled at something the male protagonist said.
Leah smiled. She loved seeing him laugh. She didn’t think he did so as often as he should.
Every once in a while, she noticed his gaze would slide to her legs. Her feet were propped on the ottoman close to his. The robe she had borrowed had parted just above her knees and fallen back, leaving most of her legs bare. And that pale flesh repeatedly drew Seth’s attention.
She held the bag of chips out to him.
Smiling, unaware that the faint golden light of desire illuminated his eyes, he poked his hand in and drew out a couple of chips.
She smiled back, then returned her attention to the screen.
The protagonists had at last made it to safety. They checked each other over for wounds, something both had miraculously escaped incurring in true Hollywood fashion. Then they fell into each other’s arms, finally giving in to the lust that had sparked between them ever since their first contentious meeting.
Leah sighed as she watched them peel each other’s clothes off with eager hands. It made her want to do the same with Seth. Her body even began to respond as her imagination kicked in. “I miss sex.” The words were out of her mouth before she could question the wisdom of speaking them.
“I do, too,” Seth confessed.
She glanced over at him and found his eyes glued to the screen.
More so since I met you.
Her eyes widened when his voice sounded in her head. “Really?”
“Yes.” The actors on-screen fell naked onto the bed and began to simulate sex, their moans and groans and cries of passion filling the room. “It’s natural to miss it,” he said matter-of-factly. “Nothing to feel guilty about.”
“No. I mean, you really miss it more since you met me?”
He froze. A look of dismay crossed his features as he cut her a glance. “I said that out loud?”
“No. I heard it in my head.”
Shit.
She grinned. “I heard that, too.”
Fuck.
She laughed. “Stop cursing.”
He grimaced. “Forgive me. It’s just… I seem to be inadvertently letting my guard down more and more around you.”
“I like it when you let your guard down around me.” Her words appeared to do little to alleviate his concern though. “Is that so unusual? Don’t you let your guard down around your brethren?”
He shook his head. “I have always spoken freely with David. Ami too, sometimes. But I’ve never broadcast my thoughts to either of them without meaning to. I haven’t done that since—” He broke off, seeming disinclined to continue.
“Since your wif
e?” she asked gently.
He nodded.
That was telling.
He watched her uncertainly.
Did he worry she would freak out over his mentioning the wife he’d lost?
He hadn’t freaked out when she had mentioned the husband she’d lost.
“Whatever thoughts you send my way I won’t betray,” she promised.
Thank you.
She grinned when his baritone voice once more filled in her head. “That is so cool. You aren’t reading my thoughts, are you?”
“No.”
“Good.”
His lips curled up in a slow smile. “Why? What would I find if I did? What are you thinking?”
She swallowed. Did she dare tell him? “This may sound weird, but hearing your voice in my head totally turns me on.” Beneath the robe, her nipples had hardened. Other parts of her tingled. Her pulse raced. “And I’m sort of fixating on the fact that you’ve been missing sex more since you met me. Because I’ve been missing sex a lot more since I met you.”
The golden light in his eyes grew brighter as a low rumbling sound filled her head. Seeming almost to vibrate through her, it set her body aflame.
“Oh shit,” she whispered. “That’s so hot.”
“What is?” he murmured.
“You just made this sort of low, growly sound in my head.” And it had affected her as much as stroking all of her erogenous zones at once would have.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“That just makes it even hotter.” Grabbing the remote, Leah aimed it at the television long enough to pause the movie, then tossed it onto the ottoman. She hoped she wasn’t about to totally blow their friendship but couldn’t prevent herself from sitting up and turning to face him. “Seth, I like being friends with you.”
“I do, too.” His gaze fell to her lap when the robe parted more at her movement.
“I’m also very attracted to you.”
His eyes rose and met hers.
“The only reason I haven’t acted on that was because I thought I was a lot older than you and—”
“You aren’t older than me.”
Death of Darkness Page 27