The Perfect Kiss

by Amanda Stevens

  Zach felt a surge of elation where hours before he’d only known defeat. If Anya wouldn’t come back to the city with him, he’d bring the campaign to her. He’d make it impossible for her to say no. He’d make her fulfill the terms of her contract if it killed him.

  Evan Hawthorne, always cautious, had been reluctant at first when Zach had phoned him earlier. He’d been more concerned in learning his boss’s whereabouts.

  “Where are you?” the executive had wailed. “It’s a madhouse around here. Your father and Roland Sutton are roaming the halls like the scavengers of Death, and they keep eyeing me like I’m to be their next meal. Everyone is afraid to even breathe. With all due respect, Mr. Christopher, I need you back here pronto. It’s your neck they want, but they’ll take mine as a substitute if they have to.”

  Zach had laughed. “Tell them not to tighten the noose just yet, Hawthorne. I’ve got an idea that may save us after all.”

  He’d proceeded to tell Hawthorne his plan, and as Zach had expected, the advertising manager had bemoaned the additional expense. “I’ll finance the excursion myself,” Zach had told him impatiently. “No one need know about it until it’s a fait accompli. I’ll need your help to pull it off, though.”

  Reluctantly, Hawthorne had finally agreed to make all the arrangements to bring Julian Sindel and his crew to Towering Oaks. When Zach had hung up the phone, he’d immediately ditched Karl and begun scouring the town for possible locations. Once Sindel and his crew arrived, there’d be no time to waste. Time was money and the money was his now. He was gambling everything he had. Risking everything for Anya.

  When someone in town had mentioned the Allison mansion, Zach’s curiosity had been aroused. He’d hired the only cab in town to take him to the abandoned mansion. The driver had seemed reluctant to leave him there, but none too anxious to wait for him, either. When Zach had paid him and sent him on his way, the man had looked enormously relieved.

  Now, as Zach stood on the cliff, making plans for Seduction, the light faded rapidly, but he wasn’t ready to leave yet. There were still too many details he needed to work out. The crew would arrive tomorrow and shooting would begin immediately. Tonight, he’d have to break the news to Anya, and Zach knew she wouldn’t be pleased.

  Lost in contemplation, he stared down at the sea. A motion at the bottom of the cliff caught his attention. Something moved down there among the shadows and the rocks. Zach edged closer to get a better view. The sunset had almost faded, but in the gathering darkness, he could see what he hadn’t noticed in the light.

  There was a cave, or at least a gaping hole, carved into the side of the cliff that jutted into the ocean. The only reason Zach could see it now was because two pinpoints of red light glowed inside.

  Eyes. Two ruby eyes gleamed in the dark, just inside the cave. Zach had the strangest sensation, the most disquieting notion that those eyes were looking directly at him.

  It was an animal, he told himself. A stray dog perhaps that had managed to stumble upon the cave. Johnny Blanchard had said earlier there would be a storm tonight. Perhaps that was what had driven the beast to seek shelter. Nothing sinister in that, so why was the hair at the back of his neck suddenly standing on end? Why couldn’t he look away from those red eyes? They seemed to mesmerize him, lure him toward them.

  Zach felt a dangerous lethargy slipping over him, and an almost compulsive need to climb down the side of the cliff and investigate that cave, to find out what lurked just inside the black recesses. It was as though someone—or something—was calling to him….

  He moved nearer the edge of the bluff, dangerously close to the brink. Just a little more. Just a little closer. Just another step…

  * * *

  As Anya emerged from the copse of trees, her heart leaped to her throat. Zach was standing at the edge of the cliff, so close he appeared to be balancing on nothing but air. As she watched, he took yet another step toward the abyss, and raw terror slashed through her. Dear God, he was walking over the edge of the cliff!

  “Zach!” she screamed with all her might, but the wind tore the sound away. She wondered if Zach had heard her at all. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took another step.

  “Zach! No!” She ran toward him, but her movements were sluggish, like a film projected in slow motion. The longer she struggled, the farther away he seemed. Anya’s vision narrowed. Everything vanished but the space separating her from Zach. “Please. Oh, please,” she cried, using every ounce of her strength to propel herself toward him. “Zach!”

  At the last second, at the final moment before he would have fallen, Anya saw him waver, poised on the very brink. It seemed to take forever for him to turn, for him to see her. She could sense his inner struggle, could see the almost overwhelming determination and resistance in his eyes. Whatever battle he had been fighting, he’d somehow managed to win. Anya could have wept with relief.

  Zach took several steps toward her until he was safely away from the edge of the cliff. Anya flung herself into his arms.

  Her actions took him completely by surprise. She felt his body stiffen at the contact, as though he were uncertain how to react. He remained motionless for a moment, and when she looked up at him, his eyes were still slightly glazed. He blinked several times, as though trying to clear the fog.

  He gazed down at her uncertainly, then his arms went around her. “What’s this?” he said, holding her close.

  “I was so scared,” she whispered. “So afraid you were going to fall.”

  He laughed, a low, excited, intensely masculine sound. He seemed himself now, and Anya would have been wildly relieved except for the excitement mounting inside her. Even his voice, the sound of his laughter, could do that to her.

  “You should have more faith in me, Anya. I’ve better sense than to walk off a cliff. But skirting the edge definitely has its appeal,” he murmured, his voice loaded with double entendre. He was talking about her. About them. Anya’s heart began to pound even faster.

  “Why were you standing so close to the edge?” she asked, still unable to shake the image. She had come so close to losing him. Never had Anya felt so desperate, so helpless, so overwhelmed with emotion. Until that moment, she’d had only a hint, a mere glimmer, of how much Zach had come to mean to her. The power of her feelings for him shocked her. Frightened her. Thrilled her with shuddering anticipation.

  Zach pulled her even tighter. His fingers tangled in her hair, drawing her head back so he could stare deep into her eyes. “That’s exactly the way you make me feel, Anya. Like I’m standing too close to the edge. Do you have any idea how much I want you? How much I need you? I think about you all the time. I can’t get you out of my head. When you ran away like that, when you left me without a word, I nearly went out of my mind.”

  “You were angry with me,” she said. “I ruined your campaign.”

  “What campaign?” he muttered, his thumb teasing her lower lip.

  Anya tried to resist. She really tried. There was danger here. Danger to them both. They needed to return to her home, to safety. But when she opened her senses to her surroundings, the countryside seemed calm and peaceful, not at all threatening. Had she been wrong? Perhaps…

  Zach traced the outline of her lips, and Anya’s breath caught in her throat. Again she tried to be wary, but the delicate friction he created with the motion of his thumb was too irresistible. Too sensuous. She parted her lips and grazed her teeth against his skin. Her tongue skimmed over him, and the carnal stimulation nearly shattered them both.

  Zach’s eyes clouded with passion. Anya could hear the desperate sound of his breathing, the pounding of his heart as his hand moved to the back of her neck. She tilted her head, gazing up at him as she completely exposed her mouth and her throat, both aching with need. She was vulnerable and open and she wanted Zach with a crushing desire that left her breathless with wonder.

  The darkness around them seemed to deepen, to intensify their growing attraction. Like the sh
eerest of veils, mist from the sea settled over them, draping them in an intimacy that Anya had never known before. The feelings of foreboding she’d had as a child, standing on this very spot, came back to her suddenly, then dissolved.

  It was as though she had been waiting here for Zach forever. Waiting for her lover. As though she had been searching for this feeling of completeness forever.

  His lips touched hers, and her blood turned to fire. It roared through her veins, sweeping aside everything in its wake except longing. Except need. Except desire and passion and hunger. Always hunger.

  “Hurry,” she whispered, opening her mouth to his tongue, tugging him to her with a fierceness that astounded her. Zach pulled her down, to a place on the ground softened by a quilt of fallen leaves. He swept aside her shawl, and she lay back, feeling the heat of his hands against her cool skin as his nimble fingers managed the tiny buttons of her lavender blouse.

  He parted the silky fabric, and his hands covered her breasts. Anya thought she had never felt anything so exquisite in her life. Zach made her feel things she’d never experienced before—passion and hunger, to be sure, but there was a tenderness to his touch that left Anya feeling adored and treasured. She felt like a woman.

  He kissed her breasts and her mouth and her throat and even the tips of her fingers. He showered her with attention until Anya was floating on a cloud of euphoria.

  But it was an all too fleeting sensation, an all too womanly sensation. Subtly, oh so cunningly, her emotions began to alter as Zach’s hands and lips became more aggressive.

  He moved over her, and the weight of his body pressing against hers thrilled Anya. Her breath quickened as he lowered his head and kissed her again. Her hand snaked around the back of his neck and pulled him closer. She ground her mouth against his, arching her body into his, and Zach responded instantly, intensifying the kiss until they were both gasping for breath.

  Gone was the tenderness. Gone was the achingly sweet feeling of adoration. Only hot, blinding passion drove them on, a hunger so powerful Anya could feel the blood inside her veins burning with need. She writhed beneath Zach, clutching at his back, tearing at his clothes until he groaned “Anya, Anya,” against her lips.

  He rose from her and knelt on the ground, flinging off his jacket. In a flash, Anya was on her knees beside him, raking her nails down the front of his shirt. Buttons flew away, but neither of them cared. All Anya wanted was to touch him, to let his warmth seep inside her, to feel the urgent beating of his heart against her hand.

  She wanted to kiss him and she did. Over and over and over again.

  “Let me take you,” he said raggedly. “Right here. Now.”

  “Let me take you,” she begged. “Please. Oh, please!” she whispered against his throat. His pulse throbbed against her lips, a beat that drove her passion to the very brink. She quivered with excitement. Her mouth opened against him.

  Zach’s head tipped back as he plunged his hands in her hair. “Yes!” he groaned. “Do it. Whatever you want…I don’t care.”

  Dear God, did he know what he was saying? Did he have any idea what he was doing to her? Anya closed her eyes and let the fiery sensations sweep through her. She could feel his heart pounding against her breasts, could almost taste the sweet richness of his blood against her lips. So close, she thought. So gloriously close.

  The wind seemed to match their frenzy. It whipped over them in cold, angry blasts as it howled through the trees.

  It took Anya a moment to sense something was wrong. She tried to ignore the warning. Tried to remind herself that this was what Zach wanted, too.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “So incredibly irresistible. You’ve put a spell on me, Anya.”

  Had she? Had she mesmerized him into wanting her as desperately as she wanted him? Had she used her powers to seduce him? Would he still want her if he knew the truth?

  Mentally she withdrew, and her body screamed in denial, raged with needs that still burned like liquid heat in her veins. “I…can’t.” With her hands on his chest, Anya shoved Zach away.

  He sat back on his heels, looking stunned. His shirt hung open, and Anya could see the rapid beat of his heart, the racing of the pulse in his throat. Her hands trembled as she reached for her blouse and drew it on.

  “Anya, why?” His words sounded tortured, as though they had been wrung from the very depths of his soul.

  “I don’t have the right,” she said simply.

  “Don’t have the right? What are you talking about?”

  Anya held her blouse tightly around her, shivering. Zach reached for her shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders with a touch so gentle Anya wanted to weep. If she could have.

  His fingers smoothed through her hair, a touch as light as a summer breeze. A touch that seared her all the way to her soul.

  “Is it because of the past?” Zach asked perceptively. “Because of…him?”

  “I’m not what you think, Zach.” Her lips trembled at the power of his stare. “I’m no longer innocent and pure.”

  He smiled. “I’m hardly one to cast stones in that area. Besides, in my eyes, you are innocent, Anya. You are pure.”

  “It’s an illusion, don’t you see? You have this image of the most beautiful woman in the world, an image of a woman who is perfect for Seduction. You see me as you want me to be.”

  “You’re wrong,” he said, with just a hint of anger. With just a scrap of uncertainty, Anya thought. “I see you as you are, Anya. And I want you. More than anything.”

  There was such a glow in his eyes, such a shimmer of warmth that Anya started to tremble all over again. If only it could be true! If only Zach could want her, really want her…

  “Maybe it’s all happening too soon,” he said, reaching for his own jacket. “I don’t want to rush you, Anya. I don’t want you to feel threatened by me. If I need to back off, I will.” Then under his breath he added, “Even if it kills me.”

  He stood, tucking his shirt into his jeans and putting on his jacket. Then he reached down, and reluctantly Anya let him help her up. As though at a loss as to what to do next, Zach walked to the edge of the cliff and stared down at the sea.

  After a few moments, when she had mastered her emotions once again, Anya joined him at the edge.

  “There’s a cave down there,” Zach said, breaking the awkward silence that prevailed. “I saw it earlier. There was something in it….”

  Anya’s gaze flew to Zach’s. “What?”

  He stared at the cave for a moment, but his expression seemed lost, confused. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t remember.” He turned to her and smiled deprecatingly. “Must not have been too important.”

  Anya listened to the night, but except for her pounding heart, everything around them seemed normal. Almost too calm. Her instincts bristled as she stared at the opening of the cave.

  “My grandmother showed me that cavern when I was a child. A long time ago pirates used it to hide their treasure, she said. In fact, that house—” Anya indicated the crumbling mansion behind them with a slight inclination of her head “—is built on the exact spot where a pirate’s house once stood. The cave goes right into the cellars. That’s how he eluded the authorities. But then, one night, the Royal Navy burned his ship, right out there,” she said, pointing to the sea. “They say his lover watched the flames from her bedroom window, and then flung herself to the ground in despair. That’s why the house is haunted. She’s still waiting for her lover to come home from the sea.”

  Zach turned to her and smiled. “That’s a very romantic tale, Anya. You surprise me. Do you really believe in ghosts?”

  “Who’s to say?” she said, her voice slightly breathless. “There are stranger things in this world, things a lot more frightening than ghosts. And more dangerous.”

  Now was the time to tell him, she thought. Now was the time to turn to him and say, “By the way, do you know what nosferatu means? That’s what I am, Zach. At least…I could b
e if I allowed myself to lose control. If I allowed myself to follow my instincts. If I allowed myself to take you the way I wanted to minutes ago when you kissed me.”

  What would he say? She could almost hear him laughing…until he thought about it. Until he analyzed it. Until he remembered.

  Then the questions would pop into his mind one by one. Why did she disappear all those years ago? Why did he only see her at night, or in very dimly lit rooms? Why did she eat so little? Why was her skin always so cool? Why did his passion threaten her so much?

  All those questions would lead to one very improbable answer. Improbable, but not impossible. For his sake, Anya would have to be convincing. She might even have to…show him….

  The moon rose over the sea, and the water shimmered with silver fire. The countryside seem to glow in the ghostly light, and the wind softened to a breeze. Now was the time to tell him. In the halcyon aura of early evening, now was the time to shatter every perception he’d ever had of her. Of life.

  Anya’s legs weakened as she turned to study his profile in the dusky light. She said, “Zach,” at the same time as he turned and said, “Anya.”

  He smiled. “Sorry. But I have a confession to make. Maybe you’d better let me go first.”

  He had a confession, too. Anya might have laughed at the irony had the situation not been fraught with such danger. She said, very softly, “It can’t be as ominous as it sounds.”

  Zach shrugged. “I’ll let you be the judge of that. I’ve made a decision regarding the Seduction campaign. I want to go ahead with it.”

  Anya glanced at him sharply. “I’ve told you. I won’t come back to the city. I can’t.” There was no way now she could ever leave her home. She was too weak, too vulnerable. Even here she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on.

  “You don’t have to,” Zach said. “We’ll finish the shoot right here. In this exact location. In fact, we’ll do it at night, with the moon and the sea and the wind in your hair, just like it is now.” He gazed at her for a moment, seeming to lose himself in her eyes. Then he said slowly, “I can’t think of a better spot, especially in light of the story you just told me. A little romance, a little mystery, even a little danger. What could be a better setting for Seduction?”