He was starting to lose patience with his friend. “I told you. I’m not waiting.”
Zeph sighed loudly. “How’s Selena? You two hooking up again?”
Mateo gave a humorless laugh. “I’m not a fucking fool.”
“I’ve told you about my sister, haven’t I?”
“You’ve told me a lot of things.” A lot of things that went in one ear and out the other, to be exact. The guy ran his mouth so much that Mateo didn’t listen to him half the time. They’d be on a stakeout and Mateo would put in earbuds just to drown out the guy’s incessant chatter. Zeph could be the one-man equivalent of a cocktail party.
“My sister is training to be a doctor up at Region headquarters. And she’s married to a human. I met him when they were first dating and…”
Mateo knew a few vampire/human couples making it work too, including his friend Andre, but none of the vampires he knew were romantically involved with a sweetblood human. Big difference.
Zeph rambled on and Mateo occasionally threw in a few words like ‘no kidding’ and ‘seriously.’ He appreciated his friend, but the guy clearly didn’t get it. You couldn’t decide to turn off your dark nature. He’d tried with Selena already and failed. Miserably. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.
“Yeah, it was a pretty bad situation, but it turned out fine.” Zeph paused a full five seconds. For a moment, Mateo thought the guy’s lady friend must be doing something to him. “Are you even listening to me?” Zeph growled.
“Your sister. Human guy. Things are peachy. Yep.”
“Dickwad,” Zeph said. “You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said, have you? The guy’s a sweetblood, and the two of them could have some helpful tips and advice for you.”
“For fuck’s sake, Zeph. Who says I want to try making things work? Or that she does? The woman just learned that monsters exist and have been preying on her. And that once upon a time the guy she used to date almost killed her. You seriously think all we need is a little relationship advice?”
“Whatever,” Zeph said, dropping the subject. “Listen. I’m texting with…my future brother-in-law…about them…coming to the island.”
“Jesus, Zeph. I not going to—”
“Too late. He’s going to see about flying a few agents over to Vancouver Island tomorrow evening. And if I can catch a flight, I’m going to join you.”
Mateo was confused. “Flying? Out here?” How had Zeph coordinated that so fast? It occurred to him that maybe he’d been tuning out his friend longer than he thought.
“If you’d been listening to me,” Zeph said slowly, enunciating each word, “you’d have heard me say that Finn is a helicopter pilot for the Horseshoe Bay region.”
“Wait. The sweetblood guy your sister’s married to works for the Agency? And he flies agents around with him in a tiny enclosed space?” If he didn’t know Zeph like he did, he’d have thought the guy was lying or grossly exaggerating the facts.
“Yeah, amazing, huh?” Zeph said, his tone saccharine sweet. “And sometimes they’re even cooped up together for hours. A sweetblood and several vampire males. But then, you’d have heard all that if you’d been paying attention.”
Mateo was glad his friend wasn’t here to see him rolling his eyes. He could be so goddamn sensitive sometimes.
Chapter 8
Something jolted Selena awake. Confused, she sat up and looked around her darkened surroundings. Embers burned in a fireplace. The shadow of a piano stood to her right. This wasn’t her bed. This wasn’t her bedroom. This wasn’t her house.
Then it all came back to her in a rush. Mateo. Vampires. The balcony. The accident.
But as unbelievable and crazy as all of that was, it wasn’t what had woken her.
It was Paula. She’d forgotten about Paula.
Hearing the front door open, she jumped to her feet, heart pounding in her ears, and tiptoed across the room. She peered into the entryway, saw Mateo, and relaxed just a fraction.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes darting around. He was holding a grocery sack that he set on the entryway table. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just jumpy, that’s all. But I realized I never found out if Paula made it home okay.” Without realizing it, Selena had sent her employee—her sweet, lovable, and somewhat clueless employee—into the mouth of the dragon. If anything happened to her, if she didn’t come back… Selena closed her eyes, not wanting to go there. “I need my phone.”
“She’s not a sweetblood like you,” he said, handing it to her. “Chances are, she’s fine.”
That was only marginally reassuring. She looked at the phone and her heart sank. No cell service. “I have to go check on her.”
Mateo shook his head. “It’s almost daybreak.”
“I unknowingly sent her into danger, Mateo. I need to know that she’s okay. Now. If you can’t come with me because of the sun, I understand, so I’ll just go myself.”
Mateo glowered at her. “You’re not leaving this house alone until I’m convinced the threat to you has been eliminated. You might not understand what they’re capable of, but I sure as hell do.”
Not this again. “Mateo, please. She’s my responsibility. She went there because of me.”
He paced to the other side of the entryway, boots pounding angrily on the tile floor.
“We don’t even need to get out of the car,” she continued. “I just want to drive past her apartment and make sure she made it home. I’ll never forgive myself, or you for that matter, if I sit around and do nothing.”
He paused, then turned to face her, a look of resignation in his dark eyes.
The early morning light was thin and gray by the time they turned into Paula’s apartment complex on the south end of Agate’s Cove. Mateo recognized the beat-up maroon sedan parked in front of the second building from when he’d helped Paula load up her car with the catering samples.
“Is that it?” he asked, pointing.
Selena sat forward in her seat and peered through the windshield. “I think so.” He drove slowly past the car to give her a better look at it. “Yes, that’s hers. Thank goodness, she made it home.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she choked back a sob. “Thank you. I can’t tell you what a relief that is.”
He stopped alongside the tennis courts, intending to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but instead, he held her face in his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. Her lashes, damp with tears, framed her beautiful eyes. Even though she could be as tough as nails, Selena could also be vulnerable. Fragile. She felt things deeply. Cared about people deeply. Whereas he was a hard, selfish bastard, she treated everyone as if they were a friend or her own flesh and blood. He’d always loved that about her.
He hadn’t intended to kiss her, but there he was, leaning over the center console, drawing her close to him. Her lips were every bit as soft as he remembered as he pushed his tongue inside, tasting the saltiness of her tears. He groaned at how good it felt to kiss her after all this time.
Selena echoed his thoughts. “I’ve missed you,” she mumbled against him, sliding her hands over his chest. God, he loved the feel of her touching him like this. “So damn much, it’s not even funny.”
He ran his lips along the delicate skin under her jaw, the fragrant hollow behind her ear, her neck. When her hand slid lower to brush against the growing bulge in his jeans, he cursed softly. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” she chuckled, her voice low and husky.
Rocking his hips forward, he spread his legs to give her better access to all of him as he shoved his hand under her shirt. He wasn’t about to let the center console between them hamper his efforts to put his mouth on those beautiful breasts of hers.
Just as she fumbled for the button on his jeans, there was a tap at the window. They jerked apart as if they were teenagers caught in the act.
“What’s going on in here?” a male voice said.
Selena gave a little snor
t of laughter as they both straightened their clothes. Mateo rolled down the steamed-up window and was surprised to see a uniformed cop standing there. Oh, for fuck’s sake. Seriously? Thankfully it was still early and the sky was very overcast, otherwise he’d be feeling more of an energy drain from the thin sunlight. Preparing to use a simple mind suggestion on the guy to let them move along without incident, he said, “Sorry, officer, we were just leaving.”
“Mateo? Selena?” The policeman leaned down and grinned, his white teeth a brilliant contrast to his golden-brown complexion. “I didn’t know you were in town, man. Or that you two were back together. How the hell are you?”
“Quinn?” The last time Mateo had seen his old friend was the last time he’d seen Selena. Quinn and his girlfriend had jumped out of the back seat of his car and ran, horrified at what they had witnessed and what Mateo had become. His father’s memory wipe had clearly been effective, he thought, as the two men shook hands.
“Sorry,” Quinn said sheepishly. “We’ve had a lot of car prowls in the area, so I just assumed… How long are you in town for? We should get the squad together. Grab a pint or two.”
He felt Selena’s light touch as she threaded her fingers through his, just like she used to. He resisted the urge to absorb any of her energy. Without thinking, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it. He hadn’t planned to stay in the area for long, but he had to admit, the thought of prolonging his time with Selena was really appealing. “You still seeing Holly?” he asked Quinn.
“Nah. We broke up a long time ago. Last I heard, she was a grad student at UBC, but I’m sure she’s done by now.”
“And you stuck around Agate’s Cove,” Mateo said.
Quinn ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. “I did move away for a while. Thought I wanted to be a big-city cop, but I came back. What can I say? I love it here.”
Mateo nodded as a gust of fragrant, fresh air blew in through the open window. “I know what you mean.” This place did get under your skin.
“How’s your dad doing?” Quinn asked Selena. “Haven’t seen him at the park lately.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s got this new girlfriend who’s taking up all his time. A woman down the street. Ever since she moved in, he’s been over there all the time, helping her with odd jobs.”
Mateo raised a brow. “You don’t like her?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s nice enough, I guess, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’s using him for his handyman skills. He can fix anything, build anything. She’s probably twenty years younger than him and very flashy. I mean, I love my dad, but she’s totally not his type.”
Quinn nodded knowingly. “Loneliness can be a real issue for older people. It can cause them to make decisions they wouldn’t have made when they were younger.”
Selena sighed. “I want him to be happy, but I worry about him getting hurt.”
As they chatted, Mateo kept a wary eye on the ever-lightening sky. If he didn’t get out of the sunlight soon, he was going to be in bad shape and would need huge amounts of both human energy and blood. Neither of which he could get from Selena.
Selena must’ve picked up on his growing discomfort, because she leaned over the console. “I’m going to be late. Can I text you, Quinn, to set something up?”
“Sounds great.” Quinn grinned.
“Catch you later,” Mateo said. “Good seeing you.”
“Likewise.” His friend gave a goodbye tap on the roof of the car, and Mateo drove away.
Chapter 9
The sun was peeking through the limbs of the stately fir trees when they drove up the driveway to Broadmoor.
“Thanks for swinging by my place so I could pick up a few things,” Selena said, shifting the small duffel bag on her lap.
“No problem.”
Although he would never admit it, she could tell he was exhausted. She’d seen him yawn a number of times. The few minutes he’d been exposed to the early morning UV rays had really taken their toll.
“Oh look,” she said, pointing at the lights on in front of the house. “The power is on. You stay here and I’ll open the garage.” No need for him to be in the sun any more than he already had been.
Once inside the house, he sunk to the couch. Even though he protested, she helped him remove his boots and tucked a blanket around him.
“Can I get you anything?”
“I’m not an invalid,” he growled.
“No, but you helped me, and because of that, you’re paying the price.” Selena went around the room, making sure all of the heavy draperies were secured. By the time she was finished, Mateo was fast asleep.
She grabbed a book from the shelf and sat at the other end of the couch near his feet, glad that she didn’t have any catering jobs for the next few days. One reason to be thankful for the slow season.
After reading the same sentence ten or fifteen times, she glanced over at Mateo. A thick strand of hair hung over his face, covering his eyes. Setting her book down, she moved closer, gently brushed it away, then kissed him lightly on the forehead. He looked so peaceful like this, all the worry gone. What she wouldn’t give to see him laughing like he used to. She got emotional thinking about how he’d come all this way to save her and ended up saving her again when she fell. She turned to sit down again, but his hand shot out and circled around her wrist.
Startled, she stifled a gasp. “Mateo?”
He mumbled something she couldn’t quite hear. Then he pulled her down on the couch with him, spooned her from behind, and started snoring.
She let out a long, slow exhale, loving the feel of his arms around her. And damn, he smelled good. Like cedar, sandalwood and man. As she reflected on what she’d learned about this dangerous, new-to-her world, she knew she should be afraid of him, but she wasn’t. On a deep, emotional level, she knew he’d never hurt her. What she did feel with him was safe and protected. A sense of belonging, like being at home. Something that, as she thought about it now, had been missing from her life for a long time.
It didn’t take long until she was fast asleep as well.
She hadn’t intended on taking anything longer than a cat nap, but she must have been more tired than she thought, because she woke hours later to the feel of his warm, broad hand covering her breast. From the sound of his breathing, he was still asleep. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept this soundly. Mmmm. So warm. So cuddly. Nestling in closer, she could feel his erection pressing against her. Was it still called morning wood when you woke in the afternoon instead?
The thought of him reaching for her in his sleep stirred a deep, aching need inside her. If she were in her bedroom right now, she’d take out her battery-operated toy and slip it between her legs to relieve this sweet, delicious pressure.
Mateo groaned. She couldn’t tell if he was waking up or if this was just a sleep noise.
“What are you doing?” His breath skimmed her ear, causing goosebumps to form up and down her arms.
“Sleeping. Same as you.”
He kept his hand in place, possessively cupping her breast. “Not the way you’re moving against me, I’m not.”
“Guess you should’ve thought about that first.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, the sleep gone from his voice.
“You pulled me down and spooned me.”
He stiffened, removed his hand from under her shirt, and hurriedly brushed the hair from her neck. “Is that all I did?”
She turned in his arms to face him and saw the worry and concern lining his forehead. “You didn’t bite me, if that’s what you’re thinking. We slept. And it was nice.” She ran her hands along the hard plane of his chest. “But if you did bite me, I guess you didn’t kill me.”
She was trying to make a joke, but he was not amused. Pushing up on his elbow, he looked down at her. “This isn’t anything to fuck with, Selena. You have no idea what you’re dealing with. I can’t emphasize that eno
ugh.”
“My blood?”
Anger flashed in his dark eyes. “And your scent. And your taste. Everything about you. You are the perfect prey. And I am your predator.”
“Hmmm. Interesting.” She rose from the couch, hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her yoga pants, and carefully slid them down her legs.
“What are you doing?” he asked hoarsely. He ran a hand through his hair, making his bed head even more pronounced. Damn, he was hot.
“Hang on. I’ll show you.” She stepped out of her pants, turned around, and showed him the side of her leg. From hip to knee was a long, bloody scrape. “I got this ugly raspberry during my fall from the balcony. I tried to clean it up, but you can see how it’s bled a little since then.” She held up the heels of her hands. “Here too, although not quite as bad. So let me point out, in case you’ve forgotten, we’ve been together non-stop since this happened, and not once have you tried to attack me.”
Something glimmered in his eyes, something that looked like hope, then, just as quickly, it was gone. “That doesn’t prove anything,” he said.
She spread her hands imploringly. “Mateo, you didn’t even notice. Not when you kissed me in the car. Not when we slept. And if on some level you did notice, your so-called dark nature clearly didn’t give a crap.”
His brows were two dark slashes, his expression guarded. It was obvious she wasn’t getting through to him. Maybe the real reason he wasn’t interested in moving past this was because he wasn’t interested in her. A lot could happen in four years. People changed. Priorities changed. Couples fell in and out of love all the time. Maybe she should just let it go.
“I never stopped thinking about us,” she said softly, turning on her heel to leave the room, “even when I wanted so desperately to forget you.”
“Selena, wait.” He grabbed her arm, and her eyes widened. He searched their depths for signs of fear, but saw none. Only the pain of rejection. And behind that, desire. He imagined she saw the same things in his. His throat had tightened so much, he wasn’t even sure he could speak. So he didn’t.
Taming the Vampire: Over 25 All New Paranormal Alpha Male Tales of Contemporary, Military, Shifters, Billionaires, Werewolves, Magic, Fae, Witches, Dragons, Demons & More Page 122