When he pulled up in front of her house a good half hour later, it took everything she had to pull away from him and walk up the sidewalk. Her hands trembled as she unlocked her door and walked inside the house. She chanced a glance behind her, to where the black-and-chrome motorcycle idled by the curb. Jake stared back at her, his hands tight on the handlebars, his body taut, as if it took all of his strength not to go after her and force his way in.
He couldn’t. He had to be invited. He’d said so himself. But even if he would have been able to, she knew deep in her heart that he wouldn’t. Because as much as she wanted him to stay, he wanted to go.
He had to.
She closed the door and headed upstairs. Nikki peeled off her dress, pulled on her favorite sweats and climbed into bed.
And then she cried.
16
JAKE HIT THE interstate and opened up the throttle. The engine roared, the wheels eating up asphalt at a frenzied pace. It was close to four in the morning and he had only a few hours until daylight. Not that he cared. His thoughts were still back at Nikki’s place.
What the hell did she expect from him?
He had to leave. This was his chance. His one shot to really and truly live for himself rather than someone—or something—else.
He was taking it. He wanted to take it.
The wind slapped at his face. The rubber handlebars dug into his palms. The bike vibrated with a fury that seeped into him and made him clench his teeth. He could feel the sharpness of his fangs cutting into his tongue and he tasted the sticky sweetness of his blood.
His gut churned. His pulse raced.
He’d been holding out for so long. Too long.
He needed to feed.
For the first time Jake held tight to the craving that welled deep inside him. Heat fired to life, spreading through him like wildfire during a Texas dry spell. He burned from the inside out, and there was only one thing that could quench the flames.
Blood.
His gaze snagged on a neon sign that flashed in the distance and he took the next exit. Slamming on his brakes, he cut to the right and pulled into a 24-hour truck stop. It wasn’t much to look at, just a faded building with grimy windows and a dirt parking lot.
Everything from eighteen-wheelers to four-door pickups filled the massive lot. Inside, lights blazed and bodies filled every table and booth. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted from the double doors as a group of men walked outside.
Jake found a parking spot, killed the engine and climbed from his bike. A bell tingled as he pushed open the door and walked inside. He stood there for several long seconds, surveying the interior, from the jukebox and cigarette machine to a pie display just off to his left. His gaze flitted this way and that until he spotted a woman sitting at the counter. Her hair wasn’t as blond as Nikki’s and she had dull brown eyes rather than vibrant gold. She wore a tank top, worn jeans and a used expression that said she was fed up with everyone and everything.
He picked his way through the maze of tables and slid onto the stool next to her.
“Welcome to CeCe’s,” a waitress told him as she set a piece of laminated plastic on the counter in front of him. “Just have a look-see at the menu. Then give a holler and let me know what you want.”
Jake turned, his gaze colliding with dull brown eyes. He didn’t need a look-see. He knew what he wanted, and it was sitting right beside him.
“YOU LOOK LIKE SHIT,” Garret told him when Jake rolled into the cave barely an hour before sunup. The vampire sat stretched out on a plaid bedroll, his back to the wall, a laptop balanced on his knees. “What happened?”
Jake climbed off his bike and walked over to the underground spring. Kneeling, he cupped his hands and splashed water onto his face. “I got into a fight,” he said once he came up for air. Water drip-dropped from his bruised and swollen face and splattered the front of his soiled shirt.
“Excuse me?” Garret stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. But then, he probably looked just as strange. His left eye was almost swollen shut. A cut oozed on his forehead.
He noted the sudden brightness in Garret’s eyes when the vampire caught sight of the wound, and Jake knew that while his friend had fed tonight, he’d done it with sex rather than blood.
“What the hell happened?” Garret pressed.
“I got my ass kicked by a guy named Bubba.”
“How does a vampire get his ass kicked by anybody?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I guess not.” Garret shook his head, his earring catching the glare from his computer screen. “I’d be embarrassed, too.”
But Jake wasn’t embarrassed. He was relieved.
Miss Brown Eyes had turned out to be a hooker. While she’d been more than willing to let him do any and everything—including sinking his fangs into her—her pimp of a boyfriend hadn’t had the same idea. He’d followed them outside and confronted Jake before he could even touch the woman. He’d pulled out a baseball bat and demanded payment up front.
Jake had realized then that he hadn’t even bothered to read the woman’s thoughts. He’d been so wrapped up in his own feelings, so angry and hurt and desperate, that he’d been distracted.
He’d turned to leave and Bubba the pimp had conked him on the head. While it hadn’t knocked him out as intended—he was a vampire, after all—the blow had sent a blast of pain through Jake that was so intense he’d actually forgotten the damnable need to feed. He’d forgotten everything except the pressure beating at his skull.
He’d turned and Bubba had hit him again, and Jake had let him. Over and over. Until the hurt had obliterated everything and he’d stopped thinking altogether.
“This ass-whipping didn’t have anything to do with that sweet little piece you were keeping time with back at the community center, did it?”
A sweet vision pushed into his throbbing head and eased the ache just a little. “Her name is Nikki.”
“Ah, Nikki. I’m judging by the way you look ready to jump me for calling her a piece that it has everything to do with her. Jake, you know you can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Fall for a human.”
“I’m not falling for anyone.” He’d already fallen. Hard and fast and now the damage was done. “Mind your own business.”
“We’ve been friends a long time. When you need me, I’ve got your back. When I need you, you’ve got mine. That’s the way it’s been for over a hundred years.”
“Then you should know I mean it when I tell you to stay out. This doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
Garret didn’t say anything. He simply stared at Jake long and hard, as if trying to figure something out. “This is suicide, you know. In the shape you’re in, Sam will be the one staking you, and you know it.”
“So?”
“So you have to feed,” Garret told him. “Anything can happen when two vampires face off. Especially when one is reliving the turning. You know how crazy things can get.” His gaze caught and held Jake’s. “How violent. I doubt Sam takes the same precautions that you and I do. Which means you might not make it, buddy.”
Maybe not.
And maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.
It was a crazy thought. One he quickly squelched. He’d been searching far too long to give up when success was right in front of him. He could see it, smell it, taste it—freedom.
An honest-to-goodness future free of the curse.
A normal life.
The thing was, Jake wasn’t so sure he wanted one. Not if he had to live it without Nikki Braxton.
NIKKI HATED HER LIFE.
She came to that conclusion on Saturday afternoon as she popped the side of her computer with the palm of her hand and watched the wave of colors on the screen. She popped it again.
“You’re going to break it,” Charlie said as he turned off the power plug at his station. It wasn’t closing time yet, but he was heading home early to pick up Darlene
for the rodeo finale that night.
Likewise, Nikki had finished up her last cut and color ten minutes ago. She’d given herself a lighter schedule on purpose because she’d expected to spend Saturday night with Jake.
She smacked the computer again. “Dill was supposed to fix this.”
“He fixed the actual computer itself. That looks like the monitor. Call him again.” Charlie stared through the front windows at the shop across the street. “He hasn’t closed up yet.”
She picked up the phone, ranted at Dill for a few minutes before guilt got the best of her and she apologized. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had a tough day,” she told him, waving at him through the window. “I don’t mean to be a bee-yotch.”
“It’s okay. Mrs. Weston called me a four-eyes when she picked up her PDA at lunch. I had to delete her schedule when I reloaded software. I gave her a printout, but that wasn’t good enough.”
Nikki’s guilt multiplied. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”
“Oh, she meant it all right. But it’s okay. I’ve been called worse, that’s for sure. So you’re sure it’s the monitor? It could be the motherboard. It looked like it was on its last legs when I replaced those circuits. But you never know with motherboards. It could last a few days or a few years. It’s better to wait until it screws up completely.”
“Trust me, it’s screwed.”
“I’m working on something right now, but I’ll stop by just as soon as I finish. It might be a half hour to an hour.”
“Take your time. I don’t have any plans.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Charlie asked as he glanced at tomorrow’s schedule.
“There is no paradise. We broke up.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Nikki shook her head and Charlie added, “But just last night you looked so happy.”
“That’s the way it goes. One day everything’s stored nice and neat in the closet and the next it’s all hanging out.”
“Don’t tell me you caught him trying on your underwear?”
She shook her head.
“Your shoes?”
Another shake.
“He borrowed your lipstick, didn’t he?”
“It’s nothing like that. He…he’s just not the man I thought, that’s all.”
Not yet.
The notion echoed in her head as she slapped the computer one more time before killing the power.
“Don’t do it,” Charlie told her when she leaned over to unplug the power cord.
“I have to unplug it. How else is Dill supposed to pick it up?”
“I’m not talking about the computer. I’m talking about Jake.” Her friend gave her a knowing look. “You’ve been the happiest I’ve ever seen you this past week. Dingy but happy. No guy’s ever gotten to you like this, and now you’re trying to push him away.”
“I have good reason to push him away.”
“Really? What? Is he an ex-con? A serial killer? A woman stuck in a man’s body?”
“No.”
“Then you have no reason to push Jake away the way you’ve pushed every other guy in your past.”
“I don’t push guys away.”
“Are you kidding me? You push harder than a steamroller. Come on, Nikki. Stop for once. Break the cycle.”
“I do not have a cycle.”
“Like hell you don’t. You’re a pervert magnet.”
“Excuse me?”
“You purposely attract men with all these deep, dark, weird secrets. Guys who are obviously holding back. Everybody in the free world can see these guys have issues—except you.” He leveled a gaze at her. “Then again, I think you see it just like everybody else. It’s what attracts you to them. You attract guys who hold back because you hold back. The closer you get, the more you realize these men aren’t what you thought they were and so you bail. Before,” he added, “you let them see the real you. See, they open up, but you don’t. You turn tail and run before then. You do it on purpose because you’re afraid of a real relationship. You’re afraid to just be yourself.”
“Don’t you have a wife to go home to?”
“I’m going, but you mark my words. You’re making a mistake with this guy.”
“You don’t know him. He’s not the man for me.” He wasn’t a man, period. Even so, it would be much too easy to fall for him.
She couldn’t do that and then say goodbye.
She wouldn’t.
JAKE’S EYES POPPED open and his gaze darted around the cave. Garret still slept the sleep of the dead several feet away, his head propped on his saddlebags, his hands folded across his chest. He wore only his jeans and a peaceful expression.
Jake’s gaze skittered to the waterfall. It drip-dropped, keeping time with the frantic beat of his heart.
He’d had the dream again.
The hair on his arms tickled and his pulse raced. Awareness zipped up and down his spine.
Sam was here.
The confrontation was over twenty-four hours away, but that didn’t make Jake any less anxious. The dream had been too vivid. Too deadly.
He pulled on his clothes and boots and climbed onto his motorcycle. The engine roared, cracking open the silence and bringing Garret wide-awake.
Jake met his friend’s gaze, but the vampire didn’t say anything. He read the anxiety fueling Jake and he mistook it for the hunger.
But what drove Jake was far more powerful than the hunger for blood or sex.
Worry and fear whirled together, snaking around him and pulling tight.
He wound his way through the cave, dread building by the second. He emerged into the clearing just as dusk settled in. Gray shadows crowded the trees, making them seem darker as Jake steered deeper into the forest. When he broke free, he hit the dirt road at a frenzied speed, pushing the bike faster until he was running wide open. Desperate.
She had to be okay.
She just had to be.
CHARLIE DIDN’T HAVE a clue about Nikki’s love life.
That’s what she told herself as she headed home. She tried to pull it off like any other Saturday night. She stopped to pick up pizza. She even bought a pint of ice cream for dessert. But no amount of pepperoni or Chocolate Ecstasy could distract her from the sound of Charlie’s voice, which stuck in her head.
Afraid? She wasn’t afraid to be herself. She was just afraid to get close to someone who would surely break her heart. Jake was temporary. That was the real problem. It wasn’t her. Charlie was a hairdresser, not Dr. Phil, and she didn’t—repeat, did not—have a cycle.
No, what she had was a very tormented vampire standing at her front door.
He wore faded jeans, a simple white T-shirt and a relieved expression.
“You’re okay,” he said when she opened the front door, as if the fact surprised him.
What did he expect? For her to be drowning her sorrows in a gallon of Cookie Dough ice cream? She glanced down at the spoon in her hand and quickly shoved it behind her back. “I’m fine. Never better.”
“I’m glad.” But he didn’t look it. Rather, he looked tired, worn. She noted the tight lines around his mouth and the shadows beneath his eyes. The faint line of a cut marred his usually perfect forehead.
She couldn’t stop herself. She reached out, her fingers flitting over the scratch. “What happened?”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if relishing her touch, and it took every ounce of strength she had to pull away.
“I had a run-in with a baseball bat,” he said as her hand fell to her side.
“You got hit with a bat?”
“This is nothing.” His mouth hinted at a grin and her heart hammered in response. “You should have seen me last night. It’s no big deal. I heal pretty quickly.” A serious light touched his eyes. “One of the perks of being a vampire.” He stared at her as if he wanted to say more, but then he seemed to think better of it. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He started to turn away, but then he stopped himself. “And to t
ell you something.”
“What?”
“I didn’t drink from you—” his gaze met hers “—but I wanted to. I wanted it so bad. I’ve never felt that way with any woman. It’s either the sex or the blood. Never both. Until you.” And then he turned away.
Let him go, she told herself. Let him go and forget him just like every other man in your past.
Every.
Single.
One.
Oh, no.
The truth crystallized as she watched Jake walk away from her, his back stiff, as if it took every ounce of strength he had to put one foot in front of the other.
Charlie had been right about her.
She’d spent a lifetime being afraid to open up, to really let anyone close to her because she feared that they wouldn’t really and truly like her for who she was deep down inside. A bona fide good girl or bad to the bone? She didn’t know.
She only knew one thing—she loved Jake.
And while she might be better off in the long run by turning her back now, suddenly the future didn’t matter half as much as her desperation to act on that love and break the cycle once and for all.
“Jake!”
17
HER DESPERATE VOICE echoed in Jake’s ears and stopped him cold.
He turned to see Nikki poised in the doorway. She wore an ugly pair of sweatpants and a big, bulky sweatshirt—and she couldn’t have looked more beautiful. Her eyes glittered a deep, vibrant gold, and desperation worried her expression.
“Don’t go.”
Her plea crossed the distance to him, and in the blink of an eye he stood before her. But he didn’t reach out and touch her. He couldn’t and she knew it.
She knew him. The man. The vampire.
“Why don’t you come inside for a little while?”
It was the invitation he’d been waiting for, yet he didn’t act on it. He could have. He could have thrown her over his shoulder, carted her inside the house, up the stairs and straight to bed.
That’s what he yearned to do.
Love at First Bite Bundle Page 16