Deadly Secrets (Forever and a Night Book 3)

by Lana Campbell

  He must have picked up on her naughty thoughts, because the next mental picture she had was him thrusting his hips forward, driving himself as deep as he could go. And again he did, over and over until her body exploded with an orgasm so violent she screamed out loud for real in the here and now. Pinpoints of light swam in front of her eyes as she rode it out. When she came to her senses, Asa still held her on his lap, grinning at her like a very satiated vampire, because of course he’d experienced the orgasm with her both in his body and his mind.

  My God! She’d come, and he hadn’t even intimately touched her! She had not expected that. She hadn’t expected any of this to be quite so real and intense. But it had been wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

  Chelsie’s senses were reeling, and her extremities still tingled, but she could move now. Barely. She didn’t know if her weakness stemmed from latent effects of his venom or that crazy, spontaneous orgasm. She reached up, stroked his cheek, and grinned. “Wow. Did that really just happen?”

  “Oh yeah, it happened, and it was even better than I imagined.” He chuckled softly. “My, my, when we really do make love, I just hope our hearts are strong enough to handle it.”

  Chelsie giggled, and replied without thinking, “Well, if necessary, we can run EKG’s on each other first in order to be certain.”

  Asa burst out laughing. “I’m afraid that might ruin the moment. I say we just take our chances.” His expression grew serious and ripe with desire. “Like right now. I’m insane to have you.” His hand snaked up her thigh, beneath her dress, then moved in to touch that part of her that still throbbed from that inexplicable orgasm.

  Chelsie grabbed his wrist. He gave her a confused look, and her heart sank, because he’d given her such pleasure and she was about to tell him she couldn’t return the favor. She felt awful, but she couldn’t violate her morals any more than she already had. She’d expected sexual content to be involved in his bite, just not so stark and real. But as far as the act itself, she just couldn’t.

  His brows creased with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

  Chelsie swallowed hard and prayed he wouldn’t be hurt or angry by her next words. “Asa, I made a vow long ago to the Lord that I would wait until I was married to have sexual intercourse. Physically anyway. I wasn’t really expecting what happened to happen. It was great, please don’t get me wrong, but it can’t happen again and especially not in our physical bodies. Not yet anyway.”

  He blinked at her. A myriad of emotions crossed his handsome face, starting with confusion, then surprise, and finally something akin to respect. “Really? You’re innocent?”

  Chelsie smiled at the old-fashioned term. “In the way you mean, yes.”

  He adjusted her on his lap, holding her in a less intimate way that would have troubled her if not for his next words. “You never cease to astound me, Chelsie Peebles. I’ve never met a more sweet, gentle, and honorable woman in my life. I’ll wait as long as necessary, until our wedding night I suppose.”

  Chelsie’s heart skipped a beat. He was telling her that she was his life mate! She’d expected as much after that wild encounter, but his verbal confirmation made her soul soar and her love for him flourish. “I feel the same way, Asa, absolutely astounded by you. I can’t wait to get to know you better. The real you, not Dr. Asa Bradley. He’s awesome, but I want to know Asa the man.”

  Asa chuckled then settled her on the couch beside him and took her hand. “Forget the movie then, and let’s talk. Ask what you will. I’ll hold nothing back. I’m not perfect. There might be some things I glaze over, but I’ll be as honest as I can.”

  “Okay. The beginning is always a good place to start. Tell me about your childhood.”

  A reminiscent smile claimed his handsome features. “Well, as you know I’m a born vampire. My father was a doctor. He and Christian’s father met several years after the war between the states and started a practice together in San Antonio. We were born two years apart. I came along in 1915, Christian in 1917. Neither of our parents ever had another child. Because of their practice, our families were very close, so Christian and I were basically raised together and were like brothers. Still are, as you know.

  “Yes, and I think that’s awesome. Christian is almost as an amazing person as you.”

  He chuckled. “He can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

  Chelsie laughed. “You don’t have to tell me. Tiffany and I share everything. The good, bad, and the ugly.”

  Asa’s expression grew suddenly tense. “You tell her everything?”

  “Mostly. Why?” She could sense unease in him and could only fathom it stemmed from what had just happened. “Would you rather I not tell her about you and me?”

  “No. No, that’s not what I was getting at. In fact, I think it’s a good thing to share personal matters with the people you’re closest to. Do you ever keep things from her?”

  Where is he going with this? “Rarely. Why?”

  He hunched a shoulder. “I was just curious. You seem like a very open and honest person. I just hope you’ll feel confident you can share anything with me. I’ll never judge you, and I’ll keep it between us. You have my word.”

  She believed that, but something was eating at him. She could tell. It was as if he knew something about her that he wanted her to open up about. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. He’d been in her mind. Had he discovered the truth about her cancer? She hadn’t been thinking about it at all during their amazing experience. She was sure of it. He couldn’t know. Could he? Should she tell him? Maybe, but not tonight. She refused to shadow this life-affirming encounter with a subject as grim as her impending death. That’s why turning soon was so very critical for her. She may have been given six months to a year back when she was diagnosed, but that didn’t mean she’d actually get that much time.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Asa remarked.

  “I, uhm, I was just thinking on what you said. I feel the same way. You can share anything with me, and it will stay between us.”

  “I appreciate that. So, tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

  Thank God he’d changed the subject. Chelsie swore she’d tell him the truth and soon, but not tonight. She was happy for the first time in what felt like forever. Cancer was stealing her life, her joy, but it wasn’t going to ruin this amazing night. “Well, let’s see. My sisters and I grew up on a small dairy in southwest Missouri. It was idyllic, at least when we were little girls. As you know, my parents are divorced.”

  “Right. I know your mother married Nathan Davenport. His public life astounds me. I can’t fathom how he’s kept his species under wraps as long as he has, with the media buzzing around him and your mother like they do.”

  “I know, it astounds me too. My mom is definitely not a fan of the media parade, but she’d put up with anything for Nathan. She adores him, and it’s obvious he feels the same.”

  “I’m glad for that. Go on, finish telling me how you grew up.”

  She brushed back her hair and frowned because she wasn’t as happy about who her father had married after the divorce. “It’s a long story, but my dad ended up marrying Tiffany’s best friend from high school, Reanna, when she was eighteen.”

  Asa’s eyes widened. “That’s odd. I’m sorry.”

  “You have no idea. It was so devastating, especially for Mom and Tiffany. But that was many years ago. Although I can’t say I’m glad it happened, had it not, Mom would have never met Nathan, or Tiffany Christian, or Dannie Dominic.”

  “Or I you.” He squeezed her hand.

  She grinned. “Exactly. Anyway, I had a wonderful childhood. We were all girl scouts, each involved in various school activities and sports, as well as our church. I played basketball for a couple years in grade school, but it was never my forte, unlike Tiffany who almost single-handedly took our girls’ team to state her junior and senior year.

  “So your forte is music. You said you were a band nerd. I bet you were cute as
hell in your little uniform. Was it pants or a skirt like cheerleaders wear?” He grinned and winked at her.

  She giggled. “Pants.”

  “Darn.” He snapped his fingers. “When I was alone in bed tonight, I was planning on envisioning you in a scandalously short miniskirt marching down some small-town city street in a parade. Might anyway.”

  She laughed again. “Feel free. I’m sure I’ll be envisioning you in something scandalous myself when I’m all alone at night. Anyway, back to high school. I played clarinet and sax in band. I guess I’ve always had a talent for musical instruments. One Christmas, my parents bought me a guitar. They planned to set me up with lessons but never did. Within a month, I had mastered the basics on my own. By the time I graduated, I played guitar, violin, and banjo. All self-taught. Chad learned to play all of those as well. Randy, Wayne, and Colt were all part of our high school band too. Our shared love of music initiated the little garage band. And well, the rest is history on that one. So, your turn. Dish.”

  “Humm. What would you like to know?”

  “Tell me about how you became a doctor.”

  “My dad wanted me to become a doctor, but I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do when I started college, which by the way was eons ago.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “But in the end, I chose medicine and never regretted it. My first round of medical school I did with Christian at Harvard. After WWII, we opened a practice in Dallas. It did very well. Just like our New Orleans one today, patients came from great distances because our kind has always been shy of physicians.”

  Chelsie nodded. She understood, which was one of the reasons she wanted to practice vampire medicine.

  Asa continued. “Of course, after several decades we had to move the practice. We chose Kansas City. Then in 2005 we moved again, to New Orleans, and opened the practice here, and you know the rest of the history involving the clinic and the hospital. Our hospitals weren’t always within the confines of the clinic as they are now, but they were always close. Christian’s country lodge and the mother’s retreat was our initial clinic until we built the one in the city.”

  “Yes, of course.” She frowned, recalling the day she had met Asa, nearly thirteen years ago at Christian’s lodge. The circumstances had been horrid. Nathan’s sire—Isabella, a feral female vampire—had nearly killed both her mother and Dannie. That day in Christian’s ER, her sister had battled for her life after Isabella ripped out her throat, severing her carotid artery. She’d also turned vampire that day. Her husband, Dominic offered his blood, which Christian and Asa had used to save her life.

  “So what about you? Tell me more about your life.”

  Chelsie smiled, enthralled with Asa’s story. He’d lived so much history. Someday she’d quiz him on all he’d witnessed, but for tonight, she was delighted just to hear about his personal life. “Any particular subject?”

  “The band if you’re up for it. Sorry. I know Chad is a sore subject for you right now, but we should talk about him and your plans. Tell me what you perceive happening if this contract is signed.”

  She had to be honest, and they did need to talk about this, but she really didn’t know all the specifics yet. “I’m fairly certain we’ll be required to tour, which helps sell the CDs, which in turn makes everyone money.”

  A sharp breath issued from his chest, and he shook his head. “Chelsie, I realize you’ve known this human for a very long time, but hon, I don’t think you realize what kind of threat he could pose to you should you ever really upset him.

  “A threat? I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

  “I was in his mind earlier tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a long story. Can I just say it was necessary?”

  Chelsie would have liked to have known what precipitated Asa slipping into Chad’s mind. Knowing Chad, he’d probably threatened Asa in some way. “Sure. Go ahead.”

  “What exists in that man’s mind is very dark and disturbed, and it worries me for your sake.”

  “That you discovered Chad is disturbed is no surprise to me. He’s devious as heck. I’ll never forgive him for backing me into a corner on this contract. But he isn’t dangerous, Asa. He’s just extremely self-centered.”

  “True, but something tells me if you ever made him mad enough, he might snap on you.”

  Chelsie said nothing as she digested that possibility, and it was a very real one. The Chad she’d once known and loved had left the building eons ago. She didn’t really know the guy she played with these days, nor did she want to. She’d take Asa’s warning to heart though and avoid being alone with him as much as possible.

  “I’m only saying that because I care about you, Chelsie. I’m not jealous of him.”

  “I know, but no more Chad talk. He’s ruined enough of my day and life. Let’s watch a movie. I just want to sit here in your arms, watch something light and happy, and get sleepy.”

  He flashed a brilliant smile. “Sounds like a beautiful plan to me.”

  ***

  Chelsie got her wish. She fell asleep in Asa’s arms. Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, they had managed to cuddle up in the spoon position on the couch, because when Chelsie woke later that morning, her backside was to his stomach and his arm was draped over her ribcage.

  Wow. How had she scored such an amazing man? Joy flowered inside her, and she smiled. Her heart had guided her correctly. There had been another entirely wonderful, but at the time unknown, reason behind her decision to turn vampire, and here he lay. She sat up, shook her head, and stared at him. Life had such a funny way sometimes of taking you on dark, scary, winding highways which seemed destined to end in a crash-and-burn scenario; then all at once the sun broke through the clouds and the road gave way to a bright, new, beautiful tomorrow.

  Lord help her, she must be in love. She hadn’t been this philosophical ever.

  The ever-present state of her medical condition rose to the forefront of her mind, but for the first time since she’d received the devastating news, Chelsie felt no fear. She didn’t have to rely on Tiffany to be her donor or Christian to be her doctor. Asa would supply both of those needs. The only pang of worry she faced this morning was when to tell him the truth. Since time was not her friend these days, the sooner, the better. She’d chew on that cud a little later today.

  Chelsie untangled herself from Asa’s arm and paid a quick visit to her bathroom. She removed her contacts and took a quick shower, then went into the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee. She was almost finished setting up a tray with cups, cream, and sugar when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned from the counter and gave Asa what she hoped was a sexy, good-morning grin. “I’m embarrassed. I don’t even know how you take your coffee.”

  He stood in the entrance of her kitchen, arms crossed over an incredibly impressive chest, his expression an unnerving combination of a sleepy, but very hungry, vampire who sought far more than a cup of coffee. “I like mine mixed with cream and sugar, the consistency a shade or two lighter than your skin and the flavor deliciously sweet like your blood.”

  Chelsie rolled her eyes then grinned. “Cute. How can you expect me to know how to fix that? Come fix your own cup.”

  He chuckled then walked across the room and pulled her into his arms. “Morning, my love.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

  Dear Lord, this is crazy, she thought. She gazed into his glorious emerald-green eyes that were filled with such affection. Her own began to mist. The rapidness of what was happening between them was almost more than her mind could comprehend. However, she knew she couldn’t compare what they experienced to falling in love as a human. Vampires mated based on a psychic connection. Case in point: Dannie and Dominic, who had discovered their bond within two days of meeting. They’d been married for over ten years and were still as in love as the day they’d wed.

  Would it be the same between her and Asa? She couldn’t wait to find out.
>
  “What?” Asa prompted. “What’s rolling around in that creative head of yours?”

  She released a dreamy sigh then smiled. “I’m just so happy. I don’t want this to end.”

  Asa stroked a palm across her hair and cheek. “It’s not going to. Ever. You’re my life mate, Chelsie. We may not be mated yet, and you still human, but even at this point nothing can separate us but death.”

  All of this she knew—and more after last night. Yet hearing those words from him was wonderful, almost fantastical. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and opened her mouth to finally say those three words, bursting within her heart, but the opportunity was lost when the doorbell rang. She gave a little start then looked at the clock on the wall above her antique buffet.

  It was nearly noon. She couldn’t fathom who’d be calling on her. Her jaw clenched. It had better not be Chad. “Excuse me.”

  Asa must have guessed her thoughts, because he followed her to the door. She glanced at him and viewed tension in his expression and suspected his thoughts ran parallel to hers. She gasped with surprise when she opened the door. “Mom!”

  Chapter 8

  Her mother and Nathan beamed at her, but their expressions grew tentative and curious when they spotted Asa.

  Her mother, ever polite, stepped forward, smiled at him, and extended a hand dripping with diamonds. Nathan kept her covered with them. No surprise. He owned more diamond mines than De Beers. “Asa. How wonderful to see you again.”

  Asa smiled back and shook her hand. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Davenport. How have you both been?”

  “Very good. Please call me Mia.”

  He gave her a nod then looked at Nathan who, to Chelsie’s embarrassment, was not making quite as much of a cordial effort as her mother.

  Nathan glanced at Chelsie’s neck, then his dark violet eyes narrowed on Asa with disapproval. The conclusion he had drawn was obvious, that Asa had taken advantage of her.