Easier said than done. He couldn’t think of a single, valid excuse for his omitting Eva from his list of suspects. Something deep inside told Andreas to keep the sexy, troublemaking huntress close to him at all times. Was what he told Natasha true? Had he simply kept his enemy close at hand? Or had he begun to develop feelings for her?
It was time to come clean with his father. “The situation with Eva is rather complicated, Father. It’s true. I am inexplicably drawn to her. I can’t explain it.” Andreas confessed in a whisper, unable to look at his father. Then, with renewed confidence, he continued. “But I’m not stupid. I am very aware of the fact that she may be the person responsible for this fiasco. I guess I didn’t include her on the list because I didn’t want your minions to get to her first, jeopardizing my chances of putting an end to this game once and for all. Please, let me deal with her.”
Aristotle shook his head and ground his teeth. Until finally, he caved. “Fine. You have one week to kill her. But if she is not dead in seven days, both of you will face my wrath!” The patriarch seethed with unleashed fury rising to the surface. His fangs protruded, and his eyes glowed red. It was something so utterly uncommon for the elder Kristopolous, that it surprised them both.
“Furthermore, you will issue a press release today to both newspapers demanding an immediate retraction. Threaten to sue them for libel and defamation of character if so much as single derogatory word is published about our family in either periodical. I hope I have made myself clear.” Aristotle folded his hands across his frail body, making sure his words and body language delivered the same menacing message.
As usual, his father had the right idea. It was tough to admit, but true. After Andreas contacted his publicist to get the ball rolling on the press release, he went down to the bar. He needed a drink before he confronted Eva with his suspicions. He stepped behind the bar on the second floor and poured himself a double shot of Grey Goose straight up. Then gulped it down in two sips and poured himself another. About to shove the second glass down his throat, he saw Natasha head toward him.
“Hey, Tash.” Andreas greeted his head of security as she sat down in the barstool next to him. He tried to butter her up with the familiar term of endearment they shared during intimacy. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Man, he really didn’t want to have this conversation.
“How’d it go?” Natasha asked. “I knew it was going to be bad when I arrived this evening and saw your father seated in your office.” She didn’t bother asking specifics about Andreas’s conversation with his father. It went without saying. What had been said between the two males needed to stay confidential.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t trust anyone at the moment. Instead he fed Natasha information about the press release and the threat of possible legal action that would soon be common knowledge anyway.
“Any idea who may have leaked the story?” Natasha pressed him for more details. She wasn’t about to back down until her gave her something more substantial. Andreas felt compelled to admit the truth. He may have compromised the coven as a result of his relationship with Eva. Natasha already had it out for her, so what difference would it make?
“No need to scold me over it, too. I’m on my way to confront Eva.” Andreas lifted his glass in salute and swallowed the last drop of vodka.
“Well, there’s something you should see first.” Natasha let out an audible sigh as she pulled a manila folder out of her briefcase and slipped it under Andreas’s arm. She patted him on the back in a comforting gesture, before she returned to her other duties.
Andreas chugged down another drink. The alcohol burned his esophagus as it went down. Otherwise, he felt little else. Almost numb. Ready to do battle with his favorite BPA agent. Still, it wasn’t a good idea for Andreas to drive himself to the classic Victorian-style mansion where Eva worked and lived. Instead, he persuaded Bobby, his trusty bartender, to serve as his chauffer. He hoped it wouldn’t end up being a suicide mission. After all, he’d frolicked with the enemy.
Now, he had to pay the price for his sins.
Andreas sat in the passenger seat and flipped open the folder Natasha had given him. Inside were two pieces of paper. One was an email addressed to the editor of the New York Time s and the other one had been sent to the New York Daily News. The sender’s name was also written clearly in the heading: [email protected]. For fuck’s sake!
Chapter Thirteen
The Inevitable
Eva lounged comfortably on her queen-sized bed on a very rare day off from her slaying duties. Oliver had pretty much ordered her to take some much needed R&R. The smoothness of her tan, cotton jersey dress brushed against the slippery satin of her bedspread.
It caused the frock to ride up and expose her well-toned thighs. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror next to her bed. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places, and made her look beautiful and sexy. But she didn’t feel that way on the inside. After she read and reread the article printed on the front page of the Times, she literally felt sick to her stomach. It’s a good thing she was laying tummy-first, otherwise she would have already puked her guts out.
As she scanned over the same damn sentence for the umpteenth time, Eva suddenly heard a loud commotion nearby. She stood on her knees to look out the bedroom window and she saw the headlights of a car shining against the guard shack at the front entrance to BPA’s headquarters. It appeared as if two men were engaged in a heated argument, while another man sat in the driver seat of the car. Watching and waiting. Then one of the men involved in the discussion pushed past the other, headed towards the front door of the house. He came closer and Eva’s eyebrows shot up when she saw his red, glowing orbs shine in the dark. Vampire. Before she jumped off the bed to gather her weapons, his silhouette became clearer. Andreas.
Jesus Christ, what the hell was he doing barging into BPA headquarters? Was he trying to get himself killed?
Eva bolted out of her bedroom and ran down the stairs towards the front door. The voices seemed to get louder and louder. What she saw when she finally arrived at the entrance, made her quiver. Four big, burly men attempted to hold Andreas back as Oliver ordered him to turn around and get back in his car.
“I am not going anywhere until I talk to that fucking traitor.
Where the hell is she?” Andreas thrashed his arms and legs as he unleashed his fury on those closest to him. Then he sent one of his captives flying through the air. Eva needed to end this before somebody got hurt, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be her vampire.
“Andreas, stop! You must calm down.” Eva’s voice remained steady as she coaxed him to comply with her demands. He was angry and volatile and pinned her down with a defiant stare. “If you promise not to hurt anyone, I’ll tell them to release you.” With his crimson eyes still blazing red against the dark sky, he barred his fangs and snarled as if ready to attack.
“Please. Leave them be. They’re only protecting me. I know you’re upset. Come upstairs and we can talk in private. You can take your anger out on me if you must.” Andreas stood his ground. A solid, unmovable force draped in the doorway. The veins in his neck pulsated as the seconds ticked on. His corded muscles tightened and flexed, at war with his futile emotions. Several moments passed before he nodded in agreement.
“Oliver, make them let him go. I’ll take full responsibility for his actions.” Eva knew very well that she was taking a monumental risk with her comrades’ lives. Oliver paused and rubbed his thumb and index finger along his jawline in contemplation. Then he acquiesced and instructed his men to release their captive. Eva crooked her finger at Andreas, motioning for him to follow her.
As she escorted him up the stairs to her room, she felt Andreas’s gaze concentrated on her backside. Eva walked ahead of him down the winding hallway. She was almost sure he’d had a clear view all the way up her mini-dress.
What a perfect day for me to go commando. Just thinking about him getting his peep on, had her
juices flowing. Unfortunately, Andreas wanted to kill her, not fuck her.
Once they were secured inside her room with the door shut, Eva turned to face Andreas. He stood in silence without saying so much as a word. His expression blank. She’d expected him to scream obscenities at her as soon they entered her bedroom. She didn’t have a clue what to say to him. How could she explain to a blood-thirsty vampire that she had betrayed his fragile trust? After what seemed like an eternity, she broke the deafening silence.
“Andreas. Say something!”
“I’m trying really hard not to rip you to shreds.” Andreas answered under his breath, his jaw wired shut as if struggling to maintain control. He tossed the manila folder onto the bed. “Tell me what’s in that folder isn’t true? Because if it is, by God, I’ll have to fucking kill you!” Eva didn’t even bother to look inside it. She knew why he’d come. It was time to shatter the façade. She had to end it.
Otherwise she’d lose her nerve.
“Yes. It’s true!” Eva roared at him. Her wicked tongue lashed out at him, desperate to hide the unshed tears behind her eyes. “What else do you want me to say? I was doing my job for Christ’s sake. We both knew from the beginning that this was a game. Now be a good sport and accept defeat.” Her entire body shook, quivering from head to toe as she enunciated each word. Andreas didn’t seem to listen.
Instead, he stared at the erratic movement of her unsteady hands. The bastard never missed a beat. This time, her convulsions weren’t caused by sexual need. It was fear. She was afraid he’d walk out of her bedroom and never come back. Eva had screwed up this case.
Royally. Even if BPA made the charges against the Kristopolous family stick, she wouldn’t be able to stay in New York. How could she, knowing she’d run into Andreas at every turn? She didn’t want to leave town, but she had no other choice.
Andreas must have sensed her turmoil. He stalked toward her slow and steady like a predator approaching its prey, using her vulnerability against her.
“Eva, you are a terrible liar! I may not have the gift of telepathy, but I can read your body language like the back of my hand.” His whole demeanor changed. He still looked furious, but instead used that anger to intimidate her on a whole different level. He advanced on her until they stood face to face, their noses nearly touching. Then he grabbed her by the waist and jerked her forward, making Eva gasp in surprise.
“You’re trying to push me away, aren’t you? You sent those emails on purpose, so that you had an easy way out. Too much of a coward to see this thing through, huh? Well, I’ve got news for you, babe. You don’t have what it takes to win this game.” Eva could feel the heat of his erection flush against her thigh. Thicker and harder than ever before. This time, she’d pushed him too far.
Andreas clasped the back of her neck and pulled her forward.
A demand for her unbridled kiss. She whimpered and melted against his solid, bulky frame. The thin material of her dressed made her feel naked against his strong, muscular body. Their wanton tongues weaved in and out of each other’s mouths, and Eva’s nipples peaked into sensitive rosebuds begging for pleasure. He broke the kiss, and yanked on the scooped-neck collar of her dress to expose the sensitive flesh of her firm breasts. Andreas captured her plump areola in his mouth and sucked hard. She felt his touch everywhere as it reverberated throughout her body like an earthquake. Its epicenter situated squarely between her shaky legs. Eva was nearly delirious with need for him.
As Andreas continued to suckle, Eva reached desperately for the waistband of his trousers. The need to touch this strong, virile man overpowered all common sense. This time, her hands wandered without reproach. He helped her unbuckle his belt and pull his pants down to his knees. Eva watched him with bated breath, his mesmerizing orbs shifting from one moment to the next. Brilliant green to red and back again. Both of them stood motionless for a split second, taking in the reality of the situation. Waiting for the other to chicken out. But for Eva, there was no going back. She took hold of his pulsating cock with greedy enthusiasm. He was so thick she could barely wrap her trembling fingers around his intimidating width. With slow, even strokes, she pumped her hand up and down his shaft. The whole time she stared into fathomless eyes that could see clear to her soul.
Andreas let out a deep and terrifying growl. He picked her up by the ass and forced her to wrap her arms around his impenetrable biceps to keep from falling. He lifted her onto his throbbing cock in one fluid motion. With his manhood seated on the precipice of her sex nearly begging for entrance, the vampire again captured her lips. The kiss was rough and relentless as he gave them what they both so urgently needed. He took command of her mouth and stalked toward the closest wall. Eva’s legs still clutched his midriff. Andreas finally reached the partition and thrust deep inside of her – hard and fast.
She bit down on his shoulder to keep from screaming. It was so good. Like nothing else she’d ever experienced. Eva was no virgin, but with Andreas, it felt like her first time. He pumped in and out of her with searing strokes that bordered on both pleasure and pain. Her clitoris throbbed with the need for release. Sweat formed in the sexy curve down the middle of her back. Liquid heat wound its way along the crack where her ass met the center of her womb. It was that sweet spot in between the two that had her writhing in his arms. Lost in the moment. Her insides began to spasm and clench down on his shaft with a fierce grip. She was so close. Andreas must have sensed it because he increased the tempo as he rubbed the tip of his cock against her clitoris over and over again.
That was all it took.
“Andreas.” Eva screamed an involuntary response as her insides clamped down and milked him of every last drop of semen.
The ripples of ecstasy cascaded over her. Minute twinges of pleasure erupted all throughout her body from the tips of her toes to the hair follicles on her scalp. It was a heady, intoxicating sensation. The spasms took their time, dissipating in delicious waves. Their chests rose and fell, unable to bring enough air back into their starved lungs.
Andreas’s white cotton dress shirt was drenched in sweat. Eva’s dress remained hiked up to her waist. And she’d never felt more alive.
“Eva. I heard screaming. I’m coming in,” she heard a voice call from the other side of her bedroom door. So dazed, she didn’t realize who it was at first. Then recognition dawned. The voice belonged to Oliver. Andreas jerked away and refastened his trousers in a hurry. It left Eva feeling empty inside. Incomplete. Lucky for her, she didn’t have too much time to dwell on it. The bedroom door burst open. Her lover stepped in front to shield her from view as she adjusted her dress back into place. It was a gesture meant to protect her honor. She wouldn’t have expected it from any man, let alone a vampire.
“No need to get hostile. I’m leaving.” Andreas raised his hands above his head in retreat as Oliver stalked toward him. As he walked out the room, he turned to Eva one last time. “We’ll finish this later, honey.” Andreas’s husky voice sent bolts of excitement racing through her body. Her knees buckled, weak at the sound of his raspy declaration. Naughty little fantasies swam through her imagination as his words finally sunk in.
It was nearly 3:00 a.m. when Eva drifted off to sleep. Well-sated, she nearly purred with satisfaction. Tomorrow she would worry about the consequences of their actions. But tonight, she simply wanted to bask in the afterglow.
Chapter Fourteen
The Aftermath
Andreas sat at the desk in his office with his head in his hands.
He tried to focus on the mound of emails he had to sift through. The sheer number of problems that needed to be solved overwhelmed him.
In hindsight, he probably could have used more finesse in tackling the Ivan situation with the media from the get go. Nonetheless, his father’s aggressive strategy had done the trick. The cease and desist letter his attorney fired off to both local newspapers resulted in an immediate retraction by the New York Times. It helped to avert any serious repercussions fo
r the Kristopolous family. So far, he’d avoided any involvement from the police or other governmental agencies.
Suddenly, there was a knock on his office door. Natasha poked her pretty little head inside.
“Hey there. It’s just me. I thought you might like to see the official retraction.” Andreas waved her in, motioning for her to bring him the latest copy of the periodical. “I know you received an emailed apology from the editor of the Times, but seeing it in black and white is much more gratifying.” Natasha sighed and plopped into the chair on the other side of the mahogany desk. A second later, she crinkled up her nose and sniffed the stagnant air.
“What is it?” Andreas asked, cognizant of Natasha’s keen sense of smell. Had she picked up a foreign scent he hadn’t recognized?
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Eva waved her hand in front of her face as if to dismiss Andreas’s suspicions. “I just don’t care for the scent of newsprint. It gives me a bit of a headache.” Natasha was a horrible liar. She’d brought him the newspaper hundreds of times over the years and never once complained of such an aversion.
“You haven’t been in the office very much this week,” remarked Natasha. “Is there anything else you need to brief me about before I get back to my other duties?”
Then it dawned on him. Natasha must have sensed Eva. Her distinctive feminine scent still clung to him days after they made love.
To him, the aromatic combination of sex and gardenias had become a natural part of his aura. His head of security would no doubt identify it as human. And utterly offensive.
Andreas worked out of his home office at Miravale the last four days, so he could remain close to his father’s side and focus his attention on pressing coven business. Aristotle’s health had been a factor, but also, Andreas needed to prove to the older man that he was able to handle the potential media catastrophe with calculating precision. “No, I believe you’re up to speed on everything.” Andreas shook his head, not ready to divulge information about his private life.
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