by Tina Folsom
For an instant, she feared nausea would overwhelm her and knock her out cold. She pushed back the feeling.
“That smells nice,” Johan said and moved his head to her open wound.
Nina thrashed harder, but his grip tightened. He would suck her dry, and there was nothing she could do. She had no chance getting out of his hold. Panic coiled through her body, her heart beating as fast as a high-speed train.
A split second before his fangs dug into her breast, he was pulled away from her. A moment later she landed hard on her butt. She stared up at the melee, expecting to see Butt Ugly fighting with his vampire friend. Instead, she looked at the broad back of a huge man. Even without seeing his face, she recognized who was fighting her two assailants now.
Nina scrambled back onto her feet. In disbelief, she watched Amaury land kicks and blows against the two vampires, keeping them at bay. Why was he fighting off the two vampires he’d sent to kill her? This didn’t make any sense at all.
“You gonna help me or what?” Amaury called out. Was he talking to her? “You, the blonde who kissed me last night.”
So, he was talking to her. After all, she was the only blonde in the alley, and she doubted either Butt Ugly or Johan had kissed him.
She rushed to his side.
“About time,” he acknowledged her with a sideways glance.
With a quick high kick she fought off Johan to give Amaury a chance to beat the crap out of Butt Ugly. But Johan came back instantly, charging at her more fiercely now. When she tried for another kick, he was faster and grabbed her foot. She twisted, but lost her balance, falling backwards against Amaury.
“Duck,” he called out. In the same instant he turned behind her. Instinctively she crouched down, and looking up, she saw Amaury land a heavy right hook into her attacker’s face, slamming him into the wall five feet away.
“Thanks,” she gasped.
“Don’t mention it.” He turned back to his own attacker. Nina caught the moment when Butt -Ugly’s claws beat into Amaury, forcing him to the ground. Having helped her had distracted him and cost him the upper hand. The attacker pinned him and raised his arm.
“No!” She heard Amaury’s scream and saw the stake in Butt Ugly’s hand glint in the faint light coming from one of the windows facing the alley. Without thinking, Nina jumped behind the nasty vampire and landed on his back. Just as the tip of his stake reached Amaury’s chest, she slammed her own stake into the vampire’s back and hoped she’d found the spot where his damned heart was located.
As the bastard dissolved into dust, she landed right on Amaury, her legs straddling him. He wore no coat or jacket, only cargo pants and a shirt, which brought her into much closer contact with his body than the night before when he’d worn a long coat. For a moment, the warmth of his body startled her. How could he be so warm? He was a vampire—vampires were supposed to be cold.
“You’re w—”
His hand snapped around her wrist which still held the stake. He nudged the offending item away from him while he pinned her with a surprised stare.
“Careful, you could hurt somebody with that,” he smirked.
Smartass!
Nina didn’t get a chance to reply. From the corner of her eye she saw Johan approach, a knife in his hands. He lifted his arm and aimed it straight at her, ready to release it with a quick flick of his wrist.
Before she could move, Amaury twisted underneath her, wrapped his arms around her and shifted. Instead of the knife hitting her chest, it grazed her shoulder, slicing into the top layer of her skin. The pain was overridden by the adrenaline shooting through her body.
She noticed Amaury’s furious look before he unceremoniously dumped her on the ground and jumped onto his feet. Obviously Johan had picked up on the same look and instantly turned tail.
With the immediate danger over, the pain from her wounds suddenly crashed over her, and she let out a frustrated moan. Amaury immediately turned back to her instead of pursuing the other vampire.
“You okay?” Was that worry in his voice?
He crouched down next to her, a concerned look on his face. Was it such a good idea to be so close to a vampire when she was a walking advertisement for his favorite food?
“What’s it look like?” She figured it was better not to show him that she was worried about the fact that she leaked blood like a self-serve soda fountain. Would he try to bite her now that he could surely smell her blood? Even her own nose picked up the metallic scent of it.
“You look pretty beat up to me. Let’s go and fix you up.”
He took her arm to pull her up, but she wrenched free from him as soon as she stood.
“Don’t touch me.” An instant later her stance faltered, and dizziness overwhelmed her.
“You can’t stand on your own,” he commented, a smug tone in his voice, and picked her up as if she was as light as a bag of groceries. “You’re coming with me.”
“No!” Nina protested and tried to wiggle out of Amaury’s arms, but her strength was quickly draining. “I’m not going with a vampire.”
“Tough luck—I’m the only one here. And I’m not leaving an injured woman in the street where she can get attacked again.” His voice sounded firm and unyielding. Great, not only was he a vampire, he was also a Neanderthal on steroids.
You Tarzan, me Jane.
“So, do you have a name?” he asked, carrying her undeterred through the night.
“Hmh,” she growled. He wouldn’t get a peep out of her.
“Fine, I can just keep on calling you The Blonde Who Kissed Me. By the way, nice kiss. Were you going to repeat that any time soon? ‘Cause if I call you The Blonde Who Kissed Me, I might get ideas.” The exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows was almost comical, had she been in the mood to laugh.
The man was a pill. But she didn’t want to be reminded of that kiss every few minutes. It was going to be hard enough, with being pressed against his strong chest. With every step he made, his muscles shifted and rubbed against her, sending the most delicious sensations through her aching body. It was truly irritating.
“Nina. My name is Nina,” she finally admitted. “And you’re welcome.” She lifted her chin and set her jaw.
He cocked an eyebrow.
“Hey, I saved your sorry ass back there,” she elaborated. His short-term memory was clearly in need of jogging.
“Only after I saved yours, so in my book we’re even.”
He was right, but she’d rather bite off her tongue than admit it.
“I can say thank you if you can.” His look was a challenge.
“You first.” She wouldn’t get tricked into thanking him, if he didn’t thank her first.
“No, you first,” he retorted and kept walking, carrying her as if she weighed nothing.
A young couple passed them on the sidewalk and gave them perplexed looks. Nina restrained herself from telling them to mind their own damn business.
“Forget it.”
“Brat!”
“Who are you calling a brat? Look at yourself, you oversized jerk!”
Big, hunky, sexy oversized jerk.
“Well, this oversized jerk came in handy a few minutes ago, don’t you think? And besides, you didn’t find me to be such a jerk when you kissed me last night. I remember distinctly how you were all over me.”
Embarrassment swept through her, making her cheeks flare with heat. She needed no reminder of her wanton behavior from the night before. It wasn’t how she normally reacted to men. They were to be used just the way they’d used her—nothing more, nothing less. And it had always worked for her: no emotional involvement, no abandonment of her good senses, well, not the way it had happened the night before anyway. It was merely a slip, she assured herself. Even the most determined alcoholic fell off the wagon occasionally. Now all she had to do was get back on it and forget what had happened.
As if it was that easy with the way her body tingled under his touch. His scent of leather and spice alone
made her stomach spasm—and she wasn’t talking menstrual cramps, no, she was talking orgasmic spasms. She’d do well staying away from him.
“Do you need a reminder?” Amaury lowered his head.
Hell, no!
She remembered all too well. “Don’t you dare!” Nina yelled, more at herself than at him. If she allowed him to kiss her again, she’d completely melt and turn into a lump of putty. She couldn’t afford that to happen to her. Once had been sufficient, thank you very much.
He grinned down at her with his bad-boy charm that turned her insides to mush.
“Maybe later?” he asked and continued walking along, seemingly unaffected by her outburst.
Nina glanced around, trying to get her bearings. They were still in the Tenderloin and only a block from his place.
“Where are you taking me?” She could guess, but wanted confirmation.
“My place. I doubt you’d want me to bring you to a hospital. Am I right?”
A hospital wouldn’t be a good choice. With her injuries, she was sure they’d involve the police. Not only was she not going to be able to explain to them that she’d been in a fight with vampires, but her own background would come up in the process. And she preferred her background to remain where is was—in the dark.
“Care to explain to me what a girl like you was doing fighting two vampires?”
“How about you explain it?”
His stunned look appeared genuine and surprised her. “You’re not suggesting I had anything to do with that?”
“Well, did you?”
Amaury slowly moved his head from side to side. “I’m not the kind of man who sends two guys after helpless women like you.”
“I’m not helpless.”
He raised a mocking eyebrow. “Whatever. I do my own dirty work. I don’t hire others to do it for me.”
“I see.”
“I don’t see how you could.” He paused. “I was looking for you. Seems somebody else found you first. Wanna explain to me what they wanted from you, besides the obvious?”
How much of the fight had he heard before he’d intervened? Was he aware that Johan had wanted to have his fun with her? “I wouldn’t know. I was as surprised by the two as you were.”
“Believe me, vampires don’t attack indiscriminately. There’s always a reason.”
He couldn’t be serious. Vampires attacked whenever they felt like it or found an easy target. As if they needed a reason to do harm. Did he think she was gullible enough to believe vampires had some sort of moral code they operated by?
“Since they were the ones attacking me, maybe you should ask them.”
“Dead vampires don’t talk.”
“One’s still alive. How about you go after him, rather than abduct me?”
“I’m taking care of you first, whether you like it or not.”
They entered a six-story apartment building, and effortlessly Amaury carried her up the stairs to the top floor.
“Can you grab my keys out of my right jacket pocket, please?”
It would be easier if he’d drop her onto her feet, but he seemed to have no intention of doing so. Nina bent toward his side and stretched her arm to reach into his pocket. The action brought her head closer to his. She felt him inhale sharply. Was he sniffing her hair?
She quickly took the keys out of his pocket and reached toward the door. Within seconds they were inside. Nina took in the large apartment. The ceilings were at least twelve feet high, and the style reminded her of the 1920s, which was probably when the building was erected. To her right were floor-to-ceiling windows with a view into downtown and the Bay Bridge.
There was a small office alcove and a sitting area. In another corner she saw a punching bag suspended from the ceiling, something she’d expect to see in a boxing gym, not the home of a vampire. Not that she’d ever been to a vampire’s lair.
Amaury sat her down on the couch. When his arms released her, she felt strangely cold and shivered instantly. It confirmed what she’d felt when straddling him earlier: his body was warm. And now that she thought of it, when he’d kissed her the night before, his lips and tongue had been downright hot. How could that be? She’d always assumed that a vampire’s body was cold—in fact, she knew that from the movies. But no way would she ask him why. For all she knew, over-confident as he was, he’d think she was interested in him, when she was anything but!
“You’ve lost some blood. Here.” He handed her the afghan which had carelessly lain over the backrest of the armchair.
“Thanks.” She took the blanket with shaking fingers and covered her lower body with it. Nervousness crept through her body at the knowledge of being alone with him in his place. This was his home turf – he had all the advantage he could ever want.
“See, you do have some manners.” He walked toward one of the doors and disappeared behind what she assumed was either the master bedroom or a bathroom.
“You oaf!” she grumbled under her breath. The man was infuriating. He treated her like a child, when she was no child at all.
Running away from her last foster home with her little brother in tow had ensured she’d grown up fast. Stealing, cheating, and fighting her way through adolescence had done the rest. And now she was a self-sufficient grown woman of twenty-seven. Definitely no child!
“What are you mumbling?”
He’d surprised her with how fast he’d returned, a bowl of water and a towel in hand.
“I’m not mumbling anything.”
“Move over,” he ordered. “I’m going to clean your cuts.”
“I can do it myself. You’re not getting anywhere near my blood.” Did she have naïve tattooed on her forehead? Like she didn’t know what he wanted.
“Ah, I see the issue. You’re worried I’ll bite? If that was my intention I would have done it where I found you. Trust me, take-out is fine by me. I feed on the go.”
He compared her to take-out food?
“Those fangs of yours aren’t going anywhere near my skin.” She underscored her answer with a warning glance which the big bad vampire completely ignored.
“And here I thought you liked me, considering that kiss …”
He had the gall to throw that issue back into her face.
Jerk!
Seven
Amaury suppressed his urge to smile. Nina was quite a fighter and sparring with him at every turn. He’d been out wandering the streets in search of a meal after his burns from the day before had healed when an intoxicating scent had drifted his way. Instantly, he’d recognized it as the scent of the woman who’d kissed him the night before.
As he’d followed her trail, he’d suddenly heard a scream. Instinctively, he’d known it was her even though he’d never heard her voice before. Once he saw what dilemma she was in, there had been no hesitation on his part. He had to protect her no matter what.
He didn’t know either of the two vampires she was fighting and was pretty damn sure they were new in town. Nina had proven to be quite good with the stake, and luckily she hadn’t used it on him. However, when she’d suddenly straddled him after she’d dusted that bastard, his heart rate had doubled. Amaury wasn’t sure whether the reason was the stake in her hand or the position she had taken above him.
Despite her protests now, he sat down on the couch, nudging her aside with his thigh against her hip. And he had his answer: his heart was pounding again. It was the contact with her body which made his heart rate spike, just like it had when she’d straddled him and during that first kiss.
First?
Yes, because there would be a second and a third and a …
Amaury cleared his throat. “Nina, let’s get that shirt off you.” He liked using her name. It suited her right down to the short, honey curls and those plump lips that were made for kissing. He promised himself right there and then that she wouldn’t leave his place until he’d tasted those lips again.
“No! I’m not wearing anything underneath.”
&nbs
p; His heart stopped for an instant as a vision of her naked skin appeared in his mind.
Even better!
“Well, that saves me from having to liberate you from your bra.” Could she hear the desire in his voice, feel the heat in his body as anticipation of seeing her naked raised his temperature?
“Jerk!”
She could shout at him all she wanted. He knew she had no other weapons on her, well, at least none which could hurt him. The knife she carried on her hip was of metal – thankfully not silver – and would do no damage to him, which meant at least tonight she wouldn’t try to kill him. It was a definite improvement over the previous night.
“How do you expect me to take care of your wounds if you don’t want to take off your shirt?”
“I can do it myself.”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
No answer.
“Will it kill you to let somebody help you?”
Nina pressed her lips together into a thin line, then gingerly pushed one side of her tattered garment off her shoulder, revealing a large gash. Her skin was pink. The scent of blood wrapped around him, engulfing him in her essence. How could he possibly not be affected by this tempting creature? Resistance was futile, surrender inevitable. The jury was still out on who would surrender to whom.
“Looks bad.” He made a corner of the towel wet and gently patted the wound with it, soaking up the blood which kept seeping from it. She winced despite the fact he barely used any pressure on the wound.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to clean it out, so it won’t get infected. Luckily the knife only grazed you.”
When he’d seen the vampire readying himself to throw the knife, he’d reacted out of pure instinct. Because she’d straddled him—a position he had enjoyed for far too brief a time—he hadn’t been able to move fast enough to prevent her from being hurt.
Amaury lowered his head, pretending to inspect the wound. In truth, he enjoyed her closeness. “It’s not too deep.”
“Don’t you have any rubbing alcohol or something?” she asked.