by Mlyn Hurn
Hell! Nothing he’d ever felt before could come close.
But vampires and vampire hunters were never meant to mix. While a hunter wasn’t as dangerous as a slayer, he had little doubt that Taryn Blue was trouble, with a capital “T”. She took a step towards him, which jolted him from his thoughts.
“No, you did nothing wrong.” He took a step closer, and then another until he could feel her heat once again. “In fact, I’d say you are doing everything perfect.”
A second later, Taryn launched herself into his arms again. This time, it seemed as if she was determined to prove her experience as she kissed him aggressively while her hands deftly caressed him and eased his trousers zipper down. Her obviously amateurish, but eager, hands fumbled a little upon his naked flesh, but she made up for the lack of skill with her enthusiasm.
Damon found himself weak-kneed as her hands stroked and caressed his cock. “Good God!” he murmured in shock.
Taryn looked up, smiling. “I bet you don’t say that very often, huh?” And then she began sinking to the floor in front of him.
“No, Taryn—” Damon reached for her shoulders.
Holding his cock, she shook her head while she spoke softly. “Hush.”
Damon shivered as her warm breath caressed its way along the length of his rod. He wasn’t sure if he’d gone too far beyond the fork in the road to withdraw. Hell! Did he want to go back? Why would he want to do that? All these thoughts stopped a second later as he felt Taryn’s tongue, and then her mouth. He’d been sinking in quicksand ever since he kissed her mouth. Feeling her mouth enclosing the head of his cock, he knew it wasn’t quicksand after all. Maybe he was burning in hell?
Lowering his hands, he touched the front opening of her outfit. “How do I get this off you?”
For several moments, maybe even a minute or so, Taryn didn’t answer, her mouth still worshipping his manhood. The instant she did reply, he felt her hands once again stimulating and teasing his cock.
“What time is it?” she asked him shortly.
“Hell, what does that have to do with anything? Sorry,” he added a second later. “It’s a minute before eleven. Why?”
Taryn smiled up at him. “Because at eleven precisely, you will have your answer.” Immediately, she returned to her previous occupation.
Damon again felt the warmth of her tongue as she explored his hardness and softness. When her hand cupped his balls, he groaned. He wanted this woman, but he needed to be inside her when he came. Grasping her upper arms, he pulled her to her feet. Turning, he pulled Taryn behind him across the room and through two doorways. In his bedroom, he switched on the lamp before facing Taryn. “What the hell? Where are your clothes?”
He paused for a millisecond, telling himself silently that worrying about where her clothes were seemed pretty unimportant at this point.
Taryn smiled. “Take yours off and you won’t care where my clothes are.” Her fingers were already lifting to unbutton his shirt.
Damon shut out the voice in his head telling him to stop Taryn. His gaze was too busy taking in her slender body. The latex outfit might have fit like skin, but it had not prepared him for seeing her nude. Her breasts were perfect. Full and perfectly shaped, with nipples that were stiff and distended from her breast more than half an inch. His mouth watered with the gut-wrenching desire to suck them.
His gaze moved down, but he couldn’t see more because of the dim light and the way she kept pressing her hips forward, rubbing against him. Damn! Acting quickly, he gently shoved her backwards. With his gaze on her falling body, he began ripping off his clothes.
Taryn watched as Damon impatiently pulled at buttons that resisted his fingers. His jacket went one direction and his shirt in another. His trousers dropped to the floor as he attempted to kick off his shoes. As he jumped onto the bed beside her, Taryn could not stop the giggle that welled up. Her lips curved and finally she grinned. Damon’s frown made her giggle again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But you look a little silly with your tie still around your neck and your socks on.”
Damon paused for a moment, but then he reached down and dragged off his socks.
Taryn waited until he straightened, and then she began using her fingers to loosen the tie’s knot. She went to lift it, but Damon yanked it upwards. It caught for a second on his nose and then around his forehead. Taryn definitely had no way of stopping the laugh that shot out seeing him with the striped tie encircling his head.
Taryn watched Damon, her laughter fading away. Suddenly she realized that laughing at a vampire could be a pretty stupid thing to do. Taking a deep breath, she waited to see what he would do. Could it be that her first real sexual encounter, because she didn’t consider the fumbling of her geekish computer nerd partner in college as counting, was going to end as badly as the previous one?
“Somewhere between the living room and the bedroom, I’ve changed from being the debonair, suave and seductive vampire into the guy who is the last one out of the clown car,” Damon told her softly, his sensual mouth curling up a little on one side.
Taryn giggled, moving her hand quickly to cover her mouth. “I’m not helping, am I?”
“If your goal is to increase my clown shoe size and decrease… well, uhm, other parts, I’d have to say you succeeded.”
Taryn felt the flush of embarrassment move up her chest, neck and across her cheeks. “I should go then,” she mumbled softly and deftly rolled off his bed. Shaking back her long hair, she started across the room towards the bedroom door.
“Haven’t you forgotten something?” Damon asked.
Taryn resisted turning to look back. Even with a tie around his head, he was still the sexiest man—well… vampire—that she’d been this close to. This was an episode that she’d happily put behind her. If he came up with some possible locations to check out, she’d let Pete go with him, or she’d go alone. Damon might doubt her abilities for her chosen career, but she’d proven herself quite a few times. His words reminded her that she needed to do something before she walked out again.
Pulling free one of the large silver hoop earrings, she unscrewed the post. She glanced quickly to make sure Damon couldn’t see her. Pouring the purplish powder into her hand, she then blew into it, scattering miniscule, glittering flecks. A second later, she stepped into the circling particles, turning once, all the way around. She murmured the incantation phrase softly. “Mystical, magical power that be, maketh the soft rubber to cover me.”
As her hair finished twirling, she felt the latex once again covering her flesh, neck to toe. Dressing like this did have its advantages. Deciding to risk one last glance, she looked over her shoulder towards the bed. She was surprised to see that Damon had left the bed and pulled on his trousers. His naked chest was broad and muscular and still quite impressive, yet it reminded her of how she’d failed to be seductive on his bed moments earlier. She hoped that he had not seen her casting the spell.
Turning away, she walked to the door. As she reached for the knob, she remembered the earring in her hand. Quickly, she replaced the silver hoop.
“I need your phone number to let you know what I find out. We can schedule some times to check out the places together.” Damon reminded her quickly. “Uhm, should I mention the fact that you are no longer naked?”
Taryn paused, knowing she should tell him right now she would not be seeing him again. It was easier to lie and delay what she was sure would be a confrontation. She slipped two fingers into the hidden pocket of her outfit and pulled out a small business card, which she’d cooked into the recipe. Reluctantly she faced Damon, holding the card out. Watching him come towards her, Taryn decided that she should have walked out and said she’d leave the card out there, somewhere… crap! Now she had to touch his hand and face his questions about her clothing. Damn! She’d really screwed this up!
He didn’t take the card immediately.
Taryn took a deep breath and inhaled his masculine essence,
which included his unique scent intermingled with a light cologne, or maybe it was an aftershave lotion.
Finally, he reached out and took the card. “This is your number?”
Taryn took a retreating step. For the first time, she picked up the usual deeper, more ominous tones one associated with vampires. It unnerved her that her defense systems were only now reacting. She was somewhat renowned for her ability to recognize all the different auras, vibrations or general warning signals of vampires. “Someone usually answers, and if not, the machine picks up.”
Abruptly, she dashed away. She didn’t stop or look back. Well, not until she was on the top of the marble stairs. She looked up towards the reflective bank of glass windows, which revealed nothing to the outside world. Her heart sped up and she was sure he watched her. Calling herself a fool, and a chicken, she turned and ran out into the night.
Chapter Four
“What is this place?” Blue asked Simon. Instead of the open roof she’d expected, they were inside what appeared to be a glass enclosure. The night was all around them. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were shining brightly. No sign of smog or air pollution tonight.
“It’s my home away from home,” Simon murmured softly.
“Isn’t all this glass a little tricky come sunrise?” Blue began walking the room’s perimeter, checking out the view from each side. “The view from up here is pretty amazing.”
“An invention of Fauster’s—the glass, that is. A special tempered glass which completely filters out the sun’s harmful rays,” Simon answered.
“How come I’ve never heard of it, if my Uncle Fauster made it?” Blue turned to look at Simon, placing her hands on her hips. “I hope you didn’t steal it like the film.”
Simon smiled and crossed to lie down on a doublewide chaise lounge. He patted the seat beside him. “I never did steal the film. I destroyed it. If you come over here, I’ll show you something pretty interesting.”
Blue stopped her slow exploratory stroll around the impressive living quarters, and quickly walked to where Simon was lying on the semi-recumbent chaise. “That sounds suspiciously like you have etchings you’d like show me. Or perhaps you have some candy in your pocket?”
Simon grinned back at her. “You have been the only woman in my life to make me smile. Even as an infant, with those wild and unruly red curls, your smile—”
Blue was surprised that Simon broke off abruptly. Shaking her head, she moved closer, putting one knee on the padded lounger. “Why now, Simon? What’s different now from nine years ago?”
“Join me, and I’ll tell you,” he murmured quietly, patting the cushion once more.
Blue sat on the edge of the chaise, easing back until she rested beside Simon, keeping a few inches between their bodies. “If my father knew—”
“He’d consider paddling your luscious behind and sending your mother after me with a stake.” Simon chuckled softly.
Blue grinned as she relaxed. Then she tilted her head the last bit so that she could see the sky above. “It’s clearer here. What did you do?”
“It’s a remote-controlled skylight. I like sleeping with only the black night above me, whenever possible.”
“And if you fall asleep and forget to close it, you’ll wake up as toast,” Blue added, trying to hide the fear that thought elicited. Why should she care that Simon took risks with his life?
Simon turned his head and met her gaze.
The butterflies went crazy in her stomach once again. It only got worse when he smiled.
“I wouldn’t wake up, but I have the pane on an automatic closure.”
“But what if the power grid goes out?” She could no longer keep the fear out of her voice, and she hoped he didn’t pick up on it.
“It has an emergency backup battery. I don’t take chances when it comes to important matters.” Simon smiled.
Blue turned away from his dark eyes, looking up at the stars. Every time he smiled at her like that, she felt crazy inside. She found herself thinking about things that weren’t right and should never happen. “That’s pretty atypical vampire behavior, isn’t it? I always got the impression from my father and Uncle Fauster that you were the wild one. That reminds me—you said Fauster invented this glass?”
Simon nodded. “He invented it, and I produced it. It sells very well in the south, California and Texas, and of course in Australia. Have you ever been to Texas?”
Blue shook her head, not sure why he would ask.
“Take my advice and stay out of the vampire bars. I think there is a time warp down there, because every bar I went to had those electronic bucking bronco rides. I thought a mouse and a lisping duck as Dracula were bad, but it’s nothing compared to wannabes and real vampires strutting around in black jeans, black silk shirts and black cowboy hats, with some going so far as to use red bandanas.”
Blue giggled at Simon’s description. “You didn’t ride one then, huh?”
A second later, the chaise lounge dropped into the completely flat position, and Simon rolled onto his left side. He lifted his upper body by bending his elbow. His upper lip curled upwards on the corner as she gasped in surprise and met his gaze.
“What I prefer to ride doesn’t involve a leather saddle and an inanimate object.” Simon grinned.
Blue blushed hotly at his suggestive words. Knowing it was stupid, she spoke anyway. “I rode one of them once.” She didn’t miss the flare of fire in Simon’s dark eyes.
“Now that is something I would have enjoyed watching. How long did you stay on?” he questioned, one eyebrow tilting upwards.
“My whole ride was a joke, kind of, and they turned it down after I’d lasted the limit. I was on spring break, away from home and I drank too much. I doubt I could stay on at all now.”
Simon lifted his right hand and traced his index finger across the slight arch of her eyebrows. Instead of moving his hand away, he slid the tip down the bridge of her nose to her lips.
She was sure she imagined the slight tremble she felt before it moved on down past her chin. As it caressed the hollow of her throat, she wondered if she’d always had so many nerve endings in her skin. Swallowing hard, she forced out her words. “You didn’t answer my question yet. Why now?”
Her heart almost stopped beating as Simon flattened his hand on her upper chest. Then just as quickly, she felt her heart begin racing, bounding against her ribs as if it were a caged bird trying to break free. I never should have come here tonight, she thought as her mind raced with second and third doubts.
Simon saw the nervous look in her eyes despite the darkness of the night. He moved his hand further down until his palm covered her heart. “Why now? Maybe because we’re adults, living in the same city and at the same time, and now with a shared purpose. Propinquity, perhaps?”
“I was an adult in Vienna.” Blue shook her head.
“You were a child that evening, regardless of your age,” Simon explained, moving his hand just a little bit, away from where it rested over her racing heart, to cup her breast.
“Now you say I’m an adult and that makes it all okay?” she questioned.
Simon shook his head this time. “It will never be okay, my sweet. Your father will never like the idea. But more importantly, you are a woman and therefore capable and responsible for your decisions.”
“A few years made enough difference? Are you sure this isn’t just a case of ‘I see it, I want it and I’m not busy with anything else’ so now becomes the right moment in time?”
Simon could feel the bristling within her, fighting the pull of attraction. An emotion easy to recognize because it was what he’d been fighting for nearly fifteen years. “Do you believe that people are not as old as the calendar states?”
“Of course. I’ve met plenty of immature people, as I’m sure you’ve had the pleasure of knowing a vast number more.”
Simon smiled. In spite of her being nervous and unsure in the unknown situation, Blue always retained h
er humor. “Yes, my sweet, I have been on this Earth for a good many years more than you. I believe that you are one of those people wise beyond your years, and you have an understanding heart and soul.”
Blue shook her head. “How can you say that? You don’t know me, the person I’ve become. A few minutes’ encounter when I was twenty-one doesn’t give you lasting insight into the woman I am today. I am more than a product of my upbringing. I’m a slayer, for God’s sake! I was raised to be a hunter, but now the game has changed.”
“It’s not a game, Blue. Your parents have failed you if that is what you truly believe you are doing.” Simon deliberately kept his voice as calm as he could.
“How dare you?” Blue shouted.
He saw the anger and resentment in her eyes.
She pushed against him, wiggling.
Simon’s hand slid inside her vest.
He cupped her breast and she froze beneath him. As Simon gazed into her eyes, he was reminded of a frightened doe caught in the oncoming headlights of a speeding vehicle. Obviously she both feared—and yet still seemed to welcome—the future. Her courage was part of her allure, Simon realized, pleased with the knowledge.
Simon molded her firm flesh and squeezed it once, twice. The sensual and erotic feeling of her sweet womanly flesh in his hand was headier than the most expensive champagne or the most innocent of blood. The expensive drink he didn’t desire, and the only blood he’d wanted for much too long belonged to the woman now pressed against him. Her sigh intimated the effect his touch was having upon her.
“I’m very aware of the changes that have been happening over the last decade, Blue. I’ve done some investigating myself, but this culprit is very adept at covering his tracks. This is not a game for this person.” Simon paused, and, using his powers of telekinesis, the lacing of her vest fell open. He carefully folded back each side, revealing her breasts to his gaze and the night air. Her nipples were already hard. Shifting his hand, he lightly circled his finger around her furthest nipple several times. Soon the tip of his index finger was flicking back and forth across it, before finally catching it and tugging upwards.