Never before had I felt like this, so uninhibited, so possessed by another. I clutched my hands into the silky strands of his hair as he gave that one last, long, lick that brought me screaming. Even then he didn’t stop until the last shudder had left my body and I was left lying on the bed, gasping to regain my breath. He kissed his way up my body, taking his slow, sweet time as he licked circles around my belly button and the tips of my breasts. Every nerve in my body tingled as he made his way to my neck, nuzzling my ear. He poised himself above me and I breathed in the warm, masculine scent of him.
“It is not too late to stop, my love.” His voice was raspy. “I don’t want you to have any regrets. Just tell me what it is that you want and it is yours.”
“You.” I spoke in barely a whisper. “I want you, Ian.” I caressed his chest and raised my head and kissed his neck. I trailed lower over the taut skin of his stomach until I reached the part of him that I wanted, needed, inside of me. His breath stuttered as I stroked the long, hard length of his shaft. I heard a sharp intake of breath as I trailed lower to gently cup him, letting my fingers play with the soft hair there. My eyes closed and I savored the feel of him. I grasped the solid length of him, and found that my hand was not large enough to go around his width as I toyed with the velvety smoothness of the skin covering the rock hard length of him. I guided that warm, throbbing part of him toward the part of me that wanted him most.
He stopped just at my opening. “Open your eyes, my love. I want to see you when we join together.”
I opened my eyes and stared into the midnight blue of his. “Please, Ian. God, please now.” I arched my back toward him, aching with need.
He slid himself into me, inch by slow, torturous inch and stole my breath away. He worked into me until he was as far as he could go; then ever so slowly, pulled himself back out. Every sense in my body was in overdrive. The sight of him as he braced himself above me, his muscles tensing as he moved himself in and out of me. The warm, masculine scent that was simply Ian as I fisted my hands in his hair while I slowly lost my breath to pleasure and the moans we both made as he brought me closer and closer.
“I have waited longer than you can know for you,” he breathed as he found his rhythm and went faster and faster until my only thought was of him and the rapture coursing through every fiber of my body. The orgasm roared through me while I screamed out and trailed my fingernails down Ian’s back. He continued to rock my body while I called out his name, then lay down beside me. I turned my head, the only part of my body still capable of moving, toward him. He lay beside me, his breath heavy, his dark curls sweaty and matted against his cheek and forehead. He traced slow circles on my stomach as he smiled down at me.
“You didn’t…”
He pressed a finger to my lips. “I have wanted to touch you from the moment I saw you. I have no desire for this to end so soon.”
His words sent a shudder through me as he rolled me to my side, spooning his own body tightly behind me. His arm lay lightly over me while he caressed down my breast, my side and over the curve of my thigh. He brought us together once more as his fingers expertly aroused me. I bent forward to allow him to penetrate me deeper. We moaned in unison as each thrust filled me. My hands grasped at the sheets and, as my body imploded once more, I screamed his name. He continued to rock and sway inside me until I felt his rhythm falter and he released himself as a loud guttural moan came from deep within his throat. I lay with Ian as we both struggled to regain our breath, our bodies rising and falling together with each heavy breath we took. I turned to face him and quivered as he slid out of me. He brushed my sweat-soaked hair from my brow and placed a tender kiss there. “No regrets?” he whispered.
“I have never felt so…” I paused to search for the right words, “…wonderful and at peace before in my life.” I placed my hands on the side of his face. “I have no regrets, Ian.”
He smiled widely, flashing full fang and dimples as I snuggled myself into his arms. I fell asleep within the warmth of Ian’s arms as he gently stroked my hair.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When I awoke, I wrapped a sheet around me and rose from the bed.
Ian lay beside me completely still. He wasn’t breathing. I reached my hand to his face. His skin was cooler than before. I swallowed back the panic. “He’s a vampire, he’s asleep for the day,” I told myself. I huffed out a breath then looked around the room. The windows were completely covered by steel shutters. I didn’t know if they were down when we first came in here or if Ian had closed them later. A small nightlight from the bathroom illuminated the room. My duffel bag was dropped at the foot of the bed. I pulled out my small bag of toiletries and fresh clothes for the day. Grabbing my shoulder holster and gun, I headed for the bathroom. I set my clothes on the counter before I routinely checked that my gun was loaded and the safety on. A few minutes later, with the water set as hot as I could stand it, I stepped into the shower. I washed quickly so as not to disturb Ian. I didn’t know if a vampire could be awakened, but just in case, better to let him sleep, or rest, or whatever it was he did during the day. I dressed quickly, brushed my teeth and hair, and replaced my shoulder rig. It felt oddly comforting with its weight lying upon my back. I didn’t know what that said about the state of my life right now that I found comfort in the feel of a gun strapped to my back, but what the hell. There it was.
I was surprised to see Bear in the kitchen about to brew a pot of coffee. “Good morning, Ms. Wolfe,” he greeted me cheerfully.
“You don’t look surprised to see me here.”
“I am Mr. Nightwalker’s bodyguard. I knew he wanted you safe, and here is safe.” He shrugged. “So, no. I am not surprised to see you here. Coffee?”
“Yes, please. You live here?” He nodded. “I prefer to stay in the main house. I have rooms downstairs.” He set a cup of coffee in front of me. “There is food in the refrigerator and pantry. Help yourself to whatever you want. The television in the front room has every imaginable channel available and the armoire is full of movies if you prefer. You can also help yourself to any of the books in the library.”
He paused for a moment then added, “Mr. Nightwalker requests that you stay here today, inside the house until he arises. He left this for you. If you need anything at all, please let me know.”
He handed me a small sealed envelope.
I smiled up at Bear. “Thank you,” I said sincerely.
“It is my pleasure, Ms. Wolfe. I have not seen Mr. Nightwalker happy in longer than I care to remember.” He smiled back at me. “You make him happy.” He picked up his cup of coffee, tucked a newspaper under his arm and took a seat in the foyer.
I opened the envelope to find a neatly scripted note.
My love,
I apologize that I could not wake with you today. I know you have an aversion to relaxation but I ask that you take today off. I will join you as soon as I am able.
Ian
“Bear?”
“Yes, Ms. Wolfe?”
“Did Ian tell you to keep me here today?”
He stiffened in his chair. “He ordered me to keep you safe, Ms. Wolfe. Here is safe.”
“So yes, Ian told you to keep me here today.”
He cleared his throat. “Yes, Ms. Wolfe. He did.”
I sighed heavily. Oh goody, my very own bodyguard.
“If there is anything you need I will be happy to send Mouse to retrieve it.”
“No thanks, Bear.” I crossed my arms in frustration. “I’m fine.”
I checked my cell phone. No missed calls, messages or voicemail. “Is there a telephone directory here, Bear?”
“If you are looking for a locksmith, Mr. Nightwalker already arranged for someone to repair the damage to your door. He should be dropping keys by early this afternoon.”
“Um, thanks.” I didn’t know if I was glad that I didn’t have to deal with it or pissed that he took control without asking. A little of both I guess.
I went t
o the refrigerator and found it fully stocked. Surprising, considering Ian didn’t have to eat. I pulled out some eggs and cheese. “You want an omelet, Bear?”
He looked over the top of his newspaper. “Any food I don’t have to cook myself is appreciated.” He smiled.
“Then egg and cheese omelets it is.”
Bear directed me to the pans and cooking utensils and made toast while I cooked omelets. We sat at the table with breakfast in awkward silence. The overhead lights cast a dim glow in the house. The steel shutters were still in place.
“Have you been a bodyguard for long, Bear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh please, not ma’am. It sounds so old. How about we just stick with Leah.”
“Yes, Ms… Leah.” He corrected.
“What brought you into the business?”
“Mr. Nightwalker.”
Um hmm, why did that not surprise me? “Have you worked for him for a long time?”
“Yes.”
We made small talk while we ate yet never once did Bear give me any personal information. He didn’t ask for any either. I hand-washed the dishes and put them on the counter to drain while Bear resumed his post in the foyer.
I crossed to the sofa and flipped on the television. There was the usual selection of daytime talk shows and soap operas. After channel surfing for ten minutes I settled on an all-day monster movie Octoberfest. I sat back numbly as two overgrown lizards battled each and destroyed a large city. The mouth movements didn’t match the words, but hey, it was better than the alternative soap operas and talk shows.
After that a werewolf movie came on. I must have dozed off because I awoke to the startling sound of Bear’s laughter.
He glanced over the top of the book he was reading. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
I sat up wiping the sleep from my eyes. “No, I didn’t realize I’d slept.” I glanced at the television to find the ending credits rolling across the screen and a vampire movie being introduced. I sat straighter, stretched and checked my cell phone. Two o’clock and still no calls or messages.
“You want a sandwich, Bear?”
“Sure.”
I made a quick stop at the bathroom first. Then I grabbed a couple of cokes and sandwiches and handed Bear’s to him as I passed by.
The pasty white vampire with slicked-back hair and a black tuxedo complete with tails was just biting into his first victim.
I pulled my laptop out and began reviewing notes from my case. I tried several more times to engage Bear in conversation. He either grunted or gave single-word answers.
I felt Ian before I saw him. His energy swirled around me. “Can you guys really do that?” I asked without looking up at him.
“Do what, my love?”
“Hypnotize people?”
He knelt in front of me and placed his hand under my chin. “Loook ento my eyes,” he mimicked in a mock accent of the vampire on television, “and you shall seee.”
I laughed as he kissed me.
“I am glad you stayed,” he whispered against my lips.
I pulled back and raised my eyebrows at him. “I didn’t have much of a choice, did I?” I nodded toward Bear who was now standing, his feet shoulder width apart, his arms crossed in front of him with one hand clasping the opposite wrist. It was a good bodyguard stance.
“I only wish for your safety, my love. Did Bear keep you comfortable today?”
“Oh yeah.” I looked from Bear to Ian. “He’s a regular chatterbox, aren’t you Bear?” I waved my hand sarcastically.
Ian stood, drawing me into his arms. “How many questions has she asked you today, Bear?”
Bear smirked, a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth. “Counting that one?” His deep voice was thick with a mixture of amusement and sarcasm.
“Great, a smart-ass vampire and his bodyguard. It must be my lucky day.”
“Ha! This coming from the queen of audacious comebacks.” Ian chuckled.
I laughed. “Why thank you, Mr. Nightwalker. It’s always nice to have my talents appreciated.” I hadn’t had a teasing conversation with anyone in too long to remember. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the easy banter between two people who cared about each other.
“Your talents are very, very appreciated.” His voice lowered an octave.
Bear cleared his throat loudly.
“I’ll take it from here, Bear. My sincere gratitude for watching over my love.” Without a word Bear turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
I settled my head on his chest. “Are you always … awake this early.”
“Did it not bother you to see me at rest?”
I tilted my head to look up at him. “Your skin was cooler and you weren’t breathing. I did panic for a moment. But no,” I reached up for a kiss, “it did not bother me.”
“I die all over again each sunrise. I die anew each day. All vampires die each day as the sun rises.”
“I’m so sorry, Ian.” I stroked my hand along his cheek.
“It is not your burden to bear, my love. Do not fret. It only lasts a moment. As for your other question, I wake earlier than most. In my world it is all about power.”
“And you are powerful?”
He smiled wickedly. “There are many more powerful than I.”
“Do you ever wish for your mortality back?” I never really thought about how the loss of mortality would affect a vampire.
“I suppose every new vampire wishes for things to be the way they once were. It is difficult to watch the ones you love age and die while you never change.”
His casual shrug conflicted with the pain in his eyes. I didn’t want to think about losing the few people I cared about in this world.
The locksmith delivered my new key as promised and even though Ian protested my leaving, it was time to go home. I spent the afternoon cleaning up the mountains of dust that had accumulated in my house; then fell into bed early. The stress was weighing heavy on me and I needed sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The obnoxiously loud shrill of my cell phone woke me. I glanced at the alarm clock on my nightstand and cursed. Barely ten in the morning, this better be damn good. I needed to catch up on some sleep. I flipped it open. “What?” My voice was husky with sleep.
“Leah!”
The alarm in Aaron’s tone had me sitting bolt upright in bed. “What’s wrong, Aaron?”
“It’s Joaquín. He’s been shot.”
I told myself a hundred times that I had no reason to feel guilty as I quickly dressed and drove to the hospital. The panic welling from inside my body was in no way related to the fact that I had slept with Ian. Joaquín and I were not together anymore and I had no reason to feel guilty about it. I jogged down the corridor of the hospital. From what little information I got, Joaquín was in surgery.
Aaron paced outside the closed door to the room set aside for family. He turned when he saw me, relief plain on his face.
“Thank God you’re here.” He pulled me into a hug. “God, Leah, the whole front of him was covered in blood.” His voice broke. “We haven’t heard from the doctor yet.”
My heart sank to my toes and I could feel Aaron’s despair. Hospitals weren’t the best places for someone who could feel other people’s emotions.
Aaron led me into the waiting room and the sorrow swirled around me, nearly knocking me to my knees. The small waiting room was crammed with officers dressed in both street clothes and uniforms. When one of your own is shot, you drop everything and head to the hospital.
The negative energy took my breath away. I closed my eyes and concentrated on raising my shields. I didn’t completely block it all out, but the internal noise droned down to a buzz in the back of my head. I walked to the back of the room where Joaquín’s sister, Anastasia, sat on a vinyl sofa flanked by Lily and Alli. Alli stood as I approached. “Come on, Lily, let’s get a cup of coffee.” Lily looked up at me, nodded, then let Alli guide her away. I
took the seat next to Anastasia. “Ana,” I said softly.
She raised her head, her eyes red and swollen. Her eyelashes were spiked with moisture as tears continued to streak down her face. “I didn’t know if you’d come.” She sobbed.
I hugged her. “Of course I came.”
“After what he did, I thought you’d hate him.” Fresh sobs racked her small body.
“I don’t hate him.” I sighed.
“You don’t love him.”
No, I didn’t but that was not going to comfort Ana and right now, she needed comfort. “I can’t just turn off my feelings, Ana. I don’t want to marry him but that doesn’t mean I hate him.”
She nodded. “He was in the desert, near Old Copper Queen Mine, you know, making sure no one had been messing around there since the body was found. He radioed from his truck, I don’t know how he did it but he must have stayed conscious just long enough to call it in. He was unconscious when they brought him in.” Her body shuddered as her control slipped away. “My God, Leah! They wouldn’t even let me see him before surgery,” she cried.
“You weren’t at school?” I handed her the box of tissues from the table.
“I came home for a couple of days to study for finals.” She wiped at the tears still flowing down her face. “It’s too noisy in the dorm. I was supposed to go back today. Finals start tomorrow.”
The change of topic seemed to calm her some. We spent a good part of the day waiting. Cops floated in and out of the waiting area and Alli kept us all in coffee. Ana had refused to eat anything. I couldn’t really argue, I didn’t have an appetite either.
“I’m Dr. Greary, are you Joaquín Wildhorse’s family?”
I helped Ana to stand. Her body was shaking so badly. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’m his sister and Leah is his fiancée.” She cast a glance at me. I bit back the temptation to correct that to “former fiancée” and focused my attention on the doctor.
“Joaquín is out of surgery and stable now. We removed the bullet from his chest; it missed his heart and lungs. He was very lucky.”
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