John led them down to their seats. “Not bad. Practically center ice.”
“Is that good?”
He held her coat as she shrugged it free. “If you like hockey, yeah.”
She placed the coat on her seat and sat back as John did the same.
“How did you get such good seats at the last minute?” Of course, as soon as the question left her mouth, she noticed the vast amount of empty seats.
“The team isn’t really all that good, but I enjoy the game.” He stared at their surroundings as if he’d never been, either.
“Have you ever been to a game?” she asked.
“First hockey game. Actually, the only sports game I ever attended was when my dad took me and my brothers to a Reds baseball game.”
“You have brothers? How many? Where do they live?” She clamped her mouth. Could she sound any more idiotic?
John smiled and took her hand. “I had two brothers, but they died awhile back.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have any family left?” Again with being idiotic. What kind of person talked about their dead loved ones on a date?
“No, it’s just me,” he murmured.
If she kept up this conversation, she could have them both in tears by the end of the night. Didn’t make her plans of hot, monkey sex afterward sound very appealing, if at all possible.
“I thought I’d go up and check out the place,” he said. “What can I bring you back?”
Disappointment stung at not being invited to tag along, but how clingy would she seem if she asked? Maybe he just needed a break from the depressing talk. Couldn’t blame him there. Now to see if he minded what she ate. “Those cinnamon almonds smelled heavenly. I wouldn’t mind those and maybe a pretzel and a Diet Coke.”
He frowned. “That’s all? It doesn’t seem very nutritious.”
“John, we’re at a hockey rink. Nothing they sell is nutritious.”
“If you say so.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek, then headed on up, taking two stairs at a time. She couldn’t help but admire his nice tight ass. God, she was horny. Yeah, tonight was the night. She’d make sure to lighten the mood when he returned.
Once his fine derriere left her sight, she sat back in her seat. The players skated around in warm-up, making shots on the goal. She had a vague idea about the sport and had only come because she wanted to spend time with John. Didn’t mean she couldn’t learn, though. If he enjoyed hockey, she would try, too. What was the point in being a couple if you couldn’t enjoy the same things?
The seat beside her filled sooner than she expected and without the scent of those nuts. “What’d you forget?” But John hadn’t returned. Instead, Steven sat beside her. Fear prickled her skin for a brief moment when something boiled inside of her. The nerve of him. “What are you doing here?”
“Wow, is that any way to say hi? I saw you come in and thought I’d visit.”
“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want to see you anymore?”
He nodded toward the top. “Who’s the boyfriend? He looks familiar.”
She would not take his bait and turned her attention back to the men on the ice. “None of your business. Now leave me alone and quit following me around. It’s bad enough you vandalized my car.”
“I didn’t vandalize your car and I’m not following you. I told you I saw you come in. God, lighten up, Sarah. I’m only trying to be sociable.”
Yeah, right. He might have an alibi, didn’t mean he wasn’t behind it all. “Fine. You said your hello, now you can say your goodbye. So goodbye,” she said, waving him off.
He slid an arm across the back of her seat, getting much too comfortable. “Come on, Sarah, why won’t you talk to me? I told you I was sorry. I do want you back. You can have all the kids you want, I promise. Just come back, okay?”
Why did he have to keep bringing up that subject? She’d been devastated when she lost the baby, and it was all his doing. “I think it’s a little late for that,” she said, her voice cracking. “It’s over. I don’t love you anymore. Please get that through your head. Now will you please leave?”
“No. I don’t believe you. I think you still feel something for me and I can prove it.”
Prove it? What would it take for him to get the message? Belting him one? Before she could question him, he grabbed her head and kissed her. She pushed at his chest, but it was useless. He wouldn’t budge. His tongue swiped against her lips. She clenched her jaw and struggled to get free. Her cheek and head were still tender from her last encounter with him and his grip hurt. Damn him. She clocked him on the back of his head and he finally let go. Her face burned.
“You are mine,” he said into her ear. “Don’t ever forget it.” Someone or something caught his attention and he stood. “We’ll talk later. See you around.”
What the hell just happened? She wanted to lay into him, but he left before she could utter a word. He walked back to his seat and sat beside a blonde woman. Why had he come over—and freakin’ kissed her—if he was on a date with someone else? Too bad she didn’t carry wet naps in her purse. Her face felt downright filthy.
When John finally returned she nearly jumped out of her seat. Damn man was much too quiet. Then again, music blared over the speaker making it hard to hear, period. She needed to get her wits together or else John would suspect something was wrong. No way would she mention Steven’s visit.
“What’s the matter? Are you okay?” He placed a bag at his feet.
“You just startled me.” Which wasn’t technically a lie.
He raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t believe her. Had Steven left marks on her face? She should have gone to the bathroom to check it out. Too late now.
He handed over her food order. She placed the drink and nuts on the floor, and when she sat up, John was scanning the crowd. No, no, no. Couldn’t have him spot her ex.
“What did you buy?” She kept her attention on the pretzel. He didn’t answer, but after a while his movements stopped. She held her breath and prayed.
“Did Steven come here and bother you?” His voice held a hint of irritation and he sounded like he talked through his teeth.
Crap. She couldn’t look him in the face. He’d never been mad at her before and she certainly didn’t want to see it now. She picked at her pretzel.
“Forget about Steven. I’m trying to.” See, she could be strong. In the past, she would be bawling at this point, begging for forgiveness.
He tugged her chin toward him. Zings of desire shot through her, but she was pretty sure he wasn’t feeling the same. She closed her eyes. What a chicken.
“Shit...”
The anger laced through that one word gave her chills. She opened her eyes to find his glowing. Uh oh. “Please don’t be mad at me,” she pleaded. “I swear I didn’t know he would be here.”
His jaw dropped for a moment and then his face softened. “Oh God, Sarah. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at him. I’m going to have a talk with him.”
Relieved his anger was directed elsewhere, she still didn’t want him talking to Steven. She grabbed his arm, keeping him in his seat. “Please don’t. I just want to have a good time.”
He caressed her cheek, soothing the burn. “I’m concerned about you. That man is dangerous and you have to tell me when he bothers you. You should get a restraining order against him.”
He was right. She had let it go on too long. “I’ll call Monday, okay?”
He cupped her face in his hands. Where Steven had been rough, John was gentle.
“That’s my girl,” he said, smiling. He then planted a light kiss on her lips.
His girl. She liked that. She also liked how his kiss tingled all the way to her toes. He really knew how to make her relaxed and lustful at the same time.
She took a bite of her pretzel. “What else did you bring? Or is it a secret?”
He chuckled. “No secret.” He reached inside the bag and pul
led out two jerseys. “I bought us a present. You looked like you were getting cold and I thought we could be twins.”
“How sweet.” Already Steven’s visit was fading from her memory.
John put his jersey on over his shirt, so she did the same. Another layer never hurt. It hung loosely on her, but then most people who were wearing jerseys wore them big.
“So, how do I look?” she asked, facing him.
“Irresistible,” he said, then gave her another light kiss on the lips.
With the way his kisses affected her, she wouldn’t need any extra layers. She could kiss him all night and stay warm. John turned his attention to the rink, so she followed suit. Within a few minutes, he took her hand again. After the initial flip-flop of her heart, his presence calmed her nerves and relaxed her muscles better than any massage.
During the first intermission, the entertainment crew set up big red and white targets on the ice. As she watched with interest, a black puck appeared in front of her.
“I saw these when I was upstairs earlier and thought you might enjoy playing,” he said. “The closest to the target wins a prize.”
Sarah took the rubber puck and he held another. When they announced it was time to throw the pucks, she stood and threw hers. It sailed through the air, hit a kid on his head, and then landed on the ice, well short of a target. The kid rubbed his head as he looked around. Crap. Good thing it was rubber. “I hope he’s okay.”
John laughed. “I’m sure he’s fine. That’s the risk you take for sitting up front.”
Taking aim, he lobbed the puck. It flew high into the air and, when it came back down, landed smack dab in the middle of the target. It didn’t even bounce or roll.
“How did you do that?”
He puffed his chest out. “Maybe it’s from my years of playing football in high school.”
“You played football?” She sat, chuckling.
“What’s so funny about playing football?”
“Nothing. I was a cheerleader in high school.” One of the few extracurricular activities her mother had approved, as long as it didn’t include dating any of the football players. And now look, she was dating one. Wouldn’t her mother just love that.
He sat and leaned into her. “I bet you were a cute cheerleader.”
And he was probably one hot football player, but something he said didn’t make sense. “How did you play football with your allergy?”
His eyes widened for a moment. “My allergies didn’t occur until later. I had a bad reaction to…a bite.”
“What bit you?”
He shifted in his seat. “Some animal. I don’t remember a whole lot. It’s kind of fuzzy.”
What animal bite caused an allergy to the sun? “I didn’t know that could happen.”
He shrugged. “Neither did I, but it did. Oh lookee there. I think I won.”
The buzzer sounded and sure enough, he had. He seemed rather proud, especially when they plastered his picture on the big screen. When he returned with his prizes, he put the hat on Sarah’s head.
“Don’t you look cute?” he said. “Would you like to come back, or should I give these away?” He held up two tickets and fanned her face while he wore a silly grin.
She’d go anywhere with him. “I’d come back. This was fun.”
Their team won—a rare event according to John—and she cheered right along with the crowd. She still didn’t know all the rules, but loved the energy. If he hadn’t won tickets for another game, she might drag him back. She was hooked on the sport, as well as the company.
The night was unseasonably warm for January—hovering around forty degrees—but still cold to her. She huddled inside her coat while John took off his jersey and placed it in the back seat along with his jacket. Of course, there was one way to warm up fast and she couldn’t wait to get back to his place.
He slid behind the steering wheel, teasing her with that snug-fitting, long-sleeved T-shirt. Did he have a hairy chest or was he smooth? She longed to rip off the shirt and find out. Anticipation was killing her. She grabbed the ends of her scarf and squeezed. Didn’t help. If anything, it caused other body parts to clench. Fighting to keep all erotic thoughts at bay, she rambled about the game while he drove, happy she could talk intelligently. Next thing she knew, he turned down the alley. Thank goodness.
He shut off the engine and stared out the window. He’d been quiet during the drive, or maybe just polite. Not like she’d given him a chance to speak. But why hadn’t he gotten out? Had she done something wrong?
She took his hand. It was cool at first, but warmed up quickly. “What’s the matter?”
His expression became serious and he squeezed her hand. “Do you think we can go upstairs and talk?”
Talk? She wanted to go upstairs, but not to talk. Talking meant bad news. Disappointment wrapped around her heart. She’d been so sure he would finally take this relationship to the next level, not end it. How had she misinterpreted everything? Unable to look him in the face, she stared at her shoes. “John, if you’re going to break up with me, just do it here and get it over with.”
“What? I don’t want to break up with you.”
She breathed in relief. “You don’t?”
“No. What makes you think that?”
“Because that’s what people say when they want to break up, isn’t it?”
He closed his eyes briefly and turned in the small seat to face her. “I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t thinking like that, because it’s the last thing I want to do. It’s just that I do have something to say and I thought it would be warmer for you inside.”
Her face burned in embarrassment. What an idiot. Teach her to jump to conclusions. The man was nothing but a gentleman, always looking out for her comfort. When would she realize that? She smiled weakly. “Oh. Well, then let’s get out of the cold and go where it’s warm.”
When she opened her door, John was there to meet her, his hand extended. Was he getting quicker or she slower? Whatever. She graciously took it, using any excuse to touch him. Hopefully, whatever it was he wanted to say would be over quickly and then she could rip off his clothes and that hot, monkey sex could commence.
* * * *
With her heat traveling to his heart, John stared into Sarah’s eyes, falling a little deeper in love. That’s why he was doing this. That’s why he was ready to risk exposing the whole vampire race.
He loved her.
And he could do it. He could. Somehow he’d get her to understand and not come to think of him as a nut case. Because, hey, that’s what he’d thought when Danielle told him. Of course, the act of being turned had pretty much proved her case. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—do that to Sarah.
He closed the passenger door. Sounds of feet shuffling came from a distance and he froze. A breeze from that direction might help determine if Steven was in the area, but the air was still and with Sarah’s proximity, her scent overpowered everything.
She gripped his arm. “What is it?”
Should he go down the alley and investigate? Delay the inevitable a little longer? Sarah was nervous enough he couldn’t leave her alone, but he could leave her inside Wings. She’d be safe there. “Probably nothing. Why don’t you go on inside while I check it out?”
Her grip tightened. “Don’t go, please. I see you put a camera back here. Let it do its job.”
He smiled. She was worried for him, when he was probably the most dangerous thing in the alley. But she was right. The camera would catch anyone approaching her car. Damn it. That’s what he got for being efficient. Better to get it over with and pray for the best. Besides, maybe her worry was a good sign. A sign she wouldn’t bolt out the door once he told her his secret.
“You’re right. Go on up. I’m right behind you. And don’t worry about the stairs. I fixed them.” He’d even made sure to use extra-long screws this time.
She smiled. “As I knew you would.”
&nb
sp; Sarah took the first step. The whoop-whoop of a police siren echoed in the alley, most likely warning someone to pull over. But Sarah jumped and landed hard on the middle step.
Wood cracked and splintered. Her foot went down as the other side of the step went up. She grabbed onto the handrail and it practically disintegrated. What the hell? That shouldn’t have happened. He’d jumped on the stupid thing after his last fix. Pulled the handrail, even. While he stood staring at the ruined steps, her movement brought him out of his trance.
Sarah was falling! Shit.
John zipped toward her, hooked an arm around her waist, and pulled her close just as she brought her hand up, the splintered wood still in her grasp. She probably didn’t realize she still held it—hell, he hadn’t even realized that—and with his speed, the wooden weapon skewered him but good.
As he toppled onto Sarah, a woman’s laughter floated on the air. Someone in the bar was having a good time, too bad it wasn’t him.
Chapter 14
Sarah couldn’t scream. John had knocked the air out of her when he’d fallen on her. But it wasn’t his weight she wanted to scream at. It was the blood covering her hand. She was still holding the handrail that was sticking out of him. She jerked her hand away. What had she done? What had she done?
His eyes widened in shock. He clutched his right side. Blood poured through his fingers and dripped onto her coat. He rolled to his side, giving back her breath.
“Oh, John! I’m so sorry.” She looked left and right. “Where’s my purse? I need to call 9-1-1.” It had fallen behind her and she pulled it into her lap.
“No!” He grabbed the purse, causing the phone to slip through her fingers.
“What do you mean, no? You need a doctor.” Sarah reached for his shirt. Maybe it seemed worse than it was. But how could that be? Part of the handrail was sticking out of his side. And there was all this blood. But before she could get a look, he wrapped his free hand around her wrists.
“Sarah, you can’t call 9-1-1,” he said, panting. “I’ll be fine.” He then proceeded to pull out the railing while spitting out curse words. The blood stain grew larger.
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