Samson's Lovely Mortal

by Tina Folsom

  “Watch out for the puddles,” he cautioned and navigated her around a large pool of water left by the rain from the previous day.

  “What? You mean you’re not going to throw down your coat and let me step over it?”

  He loved the way she relaxed him with her lighthearted jokes.

  “Saville Row, sweetness. I don’t think my tailor is going to appreciate it if he finds out.”

  Samson turned her toward him and pulled her into his arms. “So, is that what you’re looking for, an old-fashioned Prince Charming?” Delilah had no idea how old-fashioned he truly was, or how old for that matter.

  “I don’t know what I’m looking for.” Her voice trembled. Her face was still flushed, but he doubted it had anything to do with the heat in the theater. Her smile was gone from her face, and her gaze collided with his.

  “Try me.” Slowly he lowered his head and approached her mouth. Her parted lips beckoned with the promise of pleasures his body was craving. He needed that kiss, and he needed it now.

  “You two, against the wall!” a menacing male voice cut through the silence and destroyed the moment. Somebody would have to pay for this.

  With lightning speed, Samson jerked his head in the direction the voice originated and stared at a big thug and the nozzle of a handgun. He felt Delilah shudder in his arms and protectively held her closer. The heat of her body seeped into his, and despite the dangerous situation, he allowed himself to enjoy her closeness.

  Samson knew he had to act fast, and he couldn’t use his vampire speed or fangs to defeat the assailant. He wouldn’t allow anything to destroy the evening he’d planned with the woman in his arms. He couldn’t risk for her being frightened or suspect that anything about him wasn’t quite what it seemed to be. His secret had to be guarded.

  “Didn’t you hear what I said? You, against the wall!” the thug repeated. “I want the girl, now!”

  Samson instantly realized that their attacker was human and therefore easily controlled. Delilah gasped, and his hand went to her head to pull her face into his chest.

  You will not pull the trigger.

  He used the only weapon available to him, his mind control.

  You will not shoot.

  “Delilah, please do as I say. Get behind me.”

  He pushed her behind his broad back. He could feel her shaking.

  “Oh, God, no,” she whimpered. “He’ll kill you.”

  Not likely. It wasn’t exactly easy to kill a vampire, especially not with a gun. Even if the thug shot at him and hit him, his body would expel the bullet, and the wound would close up quickly.

  Only a few things could kill a vampire: a wooden stake through the chest, exposure to sunlight, and some major injuries to his body resulting in severe blood loss. If a vampire got caught in an explosion, it would most likely kill him, as would a fire. But the man only had a gun which represented no danger to Samson.

  Nevertheless, he had to be careful. Delilah was with him, and he couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

  “Hey, idiot. I want the girl. Give her to me, and I’ll let you live. No need to play the hero.”

  Samson reached one arm behind him to calm her. “Close your eyes, sweetness, and everything will be fine.” He kept his voice calm and soothing. No need to worry her any more than she already was.

  You will not shoot. You will not attack us.

  He knew he could defeat him in an instant, but how would he explain this to her? How could he explain his superhuman abilities without causing any suspicion? He was in a bind. He could control the thug not to shoot for quite a while, but even that would cause suspicion eventually.

  The man watched him intently and suddenly took a couple of steps forward. Samson could see his face clearly now, including the scar on his cheek and the small tattoo on his neck. Very unusual, very distinctive. Knowing that he would recognize him if he saw him again, Samson formed his plan. There was no need to kill him now. It was sufficient to chase him away and have his men deal with him later.

  “What do you want?” Samson asked him calmly.

  “Are you deaf? The girl.” The man’s voice was a snarl.

  “Not an option.”

  “Then I’ll kill you.” He looked as if he wanted to pull the trigger, but didn’t. Samson used his confused state to lunge at him. With a high kick of his right leg he hit the weapon out of the thug’s hand. The man looked at him, stunned and shocked.

  Run! Run now and don’t come back!

  And like a frightened rabbit he ran out of the alley. It was over.

  Samson turned and crossed the distance to Delilah with three large strides.

  “Everything is fine,” he assured her as he pulled her into his arms. “He’s gone.”

  She shook like a leaf. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “No. He didn’t get a chance.”

  “How did you learn to kick like that?”

  He held her at arm’s length from him and looked at her face. “Didn’t I ask you to close your eyes?”

  “I peeked.” She buried her head in his chest. “You shouldn’t have taken such a risk. He had a gun.”

  “The alternative wasn’t an option. Nothing happened. He was just some no good thug.”

  Delilah shook her head.

  “What?”

  “I recognized him. He was the same guy who attacked me last night.”

  The realization hit him like a freight train. “Are you sure?” Samson put his hand under her chin and urged her to look at him.

  “Absolutely sure.”

  Damn it, he shouldn’t have let him get away. It couldn’t be a coincidence that it was the same guy. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

  Effortlessly, he lifted Delilah into his arms to carry her out of the alley.

  “I can walk.”

  “Indulge me.” Feeling her body so close to his calmed him.

  He saw the limousine immediately as they exited the alley. Carl was leaning against the car, waiting for them. When Carl saw them approach, his look became concerned, and he immediately opened the car door.

  “Something the matter, sir?”

  Samson lifted her into the car. “We were attacked. Get us home, Carl, quickly, please.”

  He slipped into the seat next to her and took her hand into his, before he pulled out his cell phone with the other. The car was already in motion when the call connected.

  “Ricky, we were attacked.” He made his voice sound as calm as possible in order not to worry Delilah even more.

  “Who was attacked?”

  “Delilah and I, outside the theater.”

  Ricky interrupted him. “You were on a date with the human woman?”

  “Would you listen?” He started to get annoyed. “Delilah recognized him as the same guy who attacked her last night. I’ll have Carl fax over a sketch of him later. He shouldn’t be too hard to find. He’s got a tattoo on his neck and a scar on his cheek. He’s probably a member of a gang. Have the boys comb the city for him as soon as you get my description.”

  Absentmindedly, he led Delilah’s hand to his lips and kissed her fingers tenderly. He needed to feel her to make sure she was alright.

  “Was he a vampire?” Ricky wanted to know, his voice quieter now.

  “No, definitely not.”

  “Demon?”

  “None of that, just a regular lowlife.” Hopefully Ricky understood that this meant the guy was human. He couldn’t exactly say it while Delilah was sitting right next to him, listening to his side of the conversation.

  “And you let him get away?” Ricky’s accusation rang in his ear.

  “What do you think? I couldn’t risk Delilah being hurt.” Was Ricky high on something? He knew full well that he couldn’t just have killed the guy in front of her without exposing himself.

  “You could have wiped her memory clean. Ever thought of that?” Ricky kept his voice low so Delilah couldn’t hear him. He was right, but somehow Samson didn’t have the heart to
use his powers on her. Something stopped him. He didn’t want anything to taint his relationship with her.

  Relationship?

  How had that strange thought entered his mind?

  “I’m not listening to any more of this. Do what I told you to do. And another thing: he dropped his gun in the alley next to the theater. Retrieve it and trace it. Carl will show you where we were.” He was pissed and ended the call.

  “What’s wrong?” Delilah sounded worried.

  He immediately realized that he shouldn’t have been so harsh on the phone, but instead should have reined in his temper. He didn’t want her to be concerned. Gently he pulled her closer, putting one arm around her shoulders and taking her hand in his.

  “Nothing. It’s just Ricky. He’s a little stubborn sometimes. You won’t have to worry about anything anymore. That man can’t hurt you.”

  Samson kissed her hand. Delilah loved feeling his lips on her skin. It soothed her. She snuggled closer to him and hoped he wouldn’t think she was too needy, but his strong body made her feel safe, and that’s what she needed right now.

  “Shouldn’t we go to the police?”

  “The police never do anything about these things. Let Ricky handle it: he works in security. He knows what to do.” His voice was determined as if he was certain what the right course of action was. A man who took charge.

  She looked up at him. The whole incident hadn’t fazed him at all. While she had shaken like a tree in a hurricane, he was calm and collected, almost as if occurrences like these were common for him.

  “You probably think I’m crazy, but until this thug has been apprehended, I want you to stay at my house.”

  She gave him a startled look. “Your house?”

  “I know what this suggestion must sound like, especially after … you know … but I don’t want you to be alone. Somebody is obviously after you, and until we know who and why, I’d feel much better, if you were under my protection.”

  Delilah wondered whether he was suddenly embarrassed to mention the little erotic games they had played. Could this damn incident have killed his mood? She assumed as much. It seemed that now he felt obligated to protect her. She would have wanted to stay with him tonight, but not to be under his protection. No, she wanted to be pinned under his sexy body, his naked body.

  “You want to protect me?”

  “Of course I do.” Samson gave her a strange look.

  “Is that all?” She was certain that her disappointment showed. She’d never been good at hiding her feelings. As she looked into his eyes, she could detect a flicker in them, and then he suddenly smiled.

  He shook his head. “No, that’s not all. If I only wanted to protect you, you’d be staying in the guest room.”

  Something in her stomach made a somersault. A smile formed on her lips. “And I’m not staying in the guest room?” She was eager for his answer and held her breath.

  “You can, if you insist.” His thumb stroked along her jaw and his stare was fixated on her lips. “I certainly would not want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but I was hoping I could convince you to choose my bed instead.” His voice was sultry and full of desire. No man had ever spoken to her like this. His eyes suddenly looked much darker as he lowered his head toward hers.

  His bed. Had he really said his bed or was she hallucinating? “Will you be in it?” She felt hot, unbearably hot at the thought of sharing his bed. She had trouble swallowing.

  “As long as you want me to.” His hand on her chin pulled her closer to his face. “Last time I kissed you, I forced myself on you. I don’t want this to be the case tonight. So I beg you, Delilah, please kiss me.”

  As she brushed her lips against his, she could feel him inhale sharply. The instant her lips touched his, everything around her seemed to disappear and melt into the distance. She barely felt the movement of the car or the leather of the seats. His arms pulled her into a tight embrace, and his lips gave her all the attention she wanted, nibbling on hers and sucking on her as he hijacked her kiss. She felt his tongue slide gently over her lips, so tentative she thought he’d never invade her mouth with it, until he finally did, and did so with a masterful sweep. His tongue encircled hers, demanding she play with him, dance with him.

  His kiss sent scorching hot flames through her body, so hot she thought she’d dissolve from the inside. The fire burned deep in her belly, sending warmth and moisture trickling from between her legs, pooling in her panties which would be soaked thoroughly within seconds. She was a quivering mess in his arms. She shivered violently at every passionate assault of his tongue on her mouth, unable to control her reaction to him. She hoped he wouldn’t notice how lost she was in his arms, how completely and utterly under his spell. Abruptly he pulled away.

  “Are you okay?” Samson’s voice sounded concerned, but also breathless and rough.

  “Please don’t stop,” she begged and pressed her mouth onto his. Without missing a beat, he continued where he’d left off.

  His hand moved down to her lower back, shifting her and draping one of her legs over his thighs. He softly caressed her firm cheeks before moving down her thigh to the seam of her skirt. She felt how he stroked her naked skin and how his hand traveled upwards underneath her skirt. Higher, and higher still. His fingers reached the seam of her panties where they hesitated for a second, until she moaned almost inaudibly. As if he’d waited for her sign, he slipped his hand underneath the fabric, stroked her bare skin and squeezed her gently.

  Delilah knew this man was a virtual stranger to her, and it wasn’t normal to allow him to touch her like this when she barely knew him, but she couldn’t stop him. She didn’t want to. His touch aroused her, and she hadn’t felt that aroused in a long time. She couldn’t deny her body the pleasure he was promising. As his hand slipped lower to search out the warmth and moisture which pooled between her legs she released another moan.

  If he continued for much longer, she’d come in the car. She had to pull herself together, try to get some control over her body, but how could she? His hands promised pleasure she hadn’t felt in a long time, and her body’s response was automatic and uncontrollable. Even if she had wanted to resist him, she wouldn’t have found the strength. Why did she allow him to touch her so intimately?

  Another sigh escaped her mouth just as he separated his lips from hers.

  “We’re here.” His voice was as breathless as she felt, and his eyes were dark when she looked into them, almost as if his pupils were fully dilated. The hazel color was completely gone.

  She looked around. Carl held the car door open. She hadn’t noticed that they had stopped or that anybody had opened the door. She had completely and utterly lost all of her senses with just one kiss.

  SIX

  Carl stood waiting patiently while Samson took out a pad of plain paper from the antique bureau in the living room and sat down. Delilah watched him as he started drawing an image on the paper. His movements were swift. Within minutes, the picture of a man leapt off the page. Samson raised the sheet for her to see.

  “Is this close enough?”

  She couldn’t believe her eyes! The drawing showed the spitting image of the criminal who’d attacked them. In addition to the face of the man, Samson had drawn the image of the tattoo: two circles with a cross in the middle. “It’s as if you’d taken a picture. How did you do that?”

  “Photographic memory,” Samson explained and handed the paper to Carl. “Fax this over to Ricky. He’s waiting for it. And then …” He looked at her. “Carl can pack up some of your things and bring them here if you tell him what you need for the next few nights.”

  Next few nights? She liked the sound of that. “That’d be great. Just bring everything.” Delilah fished for her key in her bag. When she glanced up, she looked into Samson’s face, frozen in apparent shock, eyes widened. His adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard.

  “Everything, Miss?” Carl asked politely, but she ignored him.r />
  Looking at her gracious host, she laughed. “You should look in the mirror and see your face!” She got herself under control. “Priceless.” His shocked face, thinking she was planning to move in, was quite a sight to behold. But she couldn’t let him suffer any longer.

  “Sorry; it’s not what you think. I’m in San Francisco on a business trip. I only have a small suitcase and my laptop, so I figured Carl might bring the whole lot. If that’s ok?”

  Samson exhaled visibly. “You had me there for a second; I didn’t see that one coming.” He looked relaxed now. “Carl, will you get Miss Sheridan’s things please and put them in the guest room?”

  Delilah handed Carl the key to the apartment. He turned around to leave.

  “And Carl, could you also stop by the supermarket and get some food for Miss Sheridan? I think my fridge is pretty empty.”

  “What would you like, Miss?”

  “Delilah?”

  “Just whatever you eat,” she answered. She really didn’t want to make any trouble. When it came to food, she wasn’t fussy.

  “Sir?” Carl looked a little lost.

  “Just get some fruit, milk, coffee, cereal, yogurt, bread, the usual,” his boss instructed him. “And thanks, Carl.”

  “Good night, sir, good night, Miss.”

  A second later Carl was gone. She was still looking to the door when Samson’s arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her into him.

  “Were you trying to shock me?” He started nibbling at her ear lobe.

  “Did it work?”

  “What do you think?”

  His lips wandered to her neck, softly brushing her skin until goose bumps started forming.

  “Cold?”

  How could she be when his hot hands stroked across her belly? “Hot.”

  And getting hotter by the second.

  “Thought so.” Samson sounded suspiciously smug.

  He left one hand wrapped around her waist and moved the other one higher, traveling deliberately up the middle of her torso through the valley of her breasts until he reached the neckline of her top.

  “What were you trying to do to me in the theater?” He stroked his fingers along the line where her top stopped and her skin began. Her skin tingled when his fingers touched her.