“Do you ever stay at your condo?” he asked.
“Occasionally,” I said. “I recently spent the night with Alexis and Candace.”
“Should I be concerned?” he asked, sarcastically.
“It was all innocent stuff. You know, like pillow fights in our underwear—what girls always do when there are no guys around,” I said with a sly smirk before taking a sip of my champagne.
“Innocent, my ass.”
When I’d eaten as much as would fit into my stomach, Matthew cleared the plates. I tried to help with the serving dishes but felt I was getting in the way more than helping. While Matthew finished cleaning, I helped myself to another glass of champagne then put the remainder of the bottle in the refrigerator, cutting myself off from my delicious supply.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look this evening?” Matthew asked as we moved to the living room and sat on the couch. He’d refilled his glass as well.
I’d found a nice, flowy top and dark skinny jeans in anticipation of that evening, but nothing I’d consider exceptionally dressy. I’d reapplied some makeup and cherry lip gloss in one of the North Building bathrooms before heading over, wanting to at least look presentable.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn as I leaned into his firm chest. “But look at you—you could have any girl you want. Sometimes I don’t understand what you see in me.”
“I see the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life.” Matthew guided my chin up to meet his penetrating gaze. “And as you know, I’ve lived a long time. I don’t want you to ever have to question what I see in you or how I feel about you. I love you.”
I leaned in to kiss him, not even minding that I tasted a hint of blood on his lips. “I love you too.”
He wrapped an arm around me as we settled in to watch a movie—nothing too intense because there was enough intensity in my life. I was starting to feel the calming effects of the alcohol, which would also give me the courage to insist on getting what I wanted. For all I knew, it could be our final night together and I wanted it to be memorable. With whatever would happen the following day, I wanted to know we had something special.
Before the movie even finished, the hand Matthew had positioned on my thigh was already beginning to explore. Exquisite shivers ran up my leg and I wanted more of him touching me.
I reached out to set my empty champagne glass onto the coffee table, then repositioned my body to kiss him. His mouth reciprocated with a fervor that told me he wanted me as much as I wanted him, but after a few minutes of kissing and caressing, Matthew pulled back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, the feeling creeping in that he didn’t desire me as much as he said he did. I placed a palm on his cheek and lightly brushed my lips against his, but he remained still.
“I think we should wait,” he said.
“For what?” I asked, feeling the courage the alcohol was giving me to not just submit, but to push back. “You said you loved me.”
“I do,” he whispered. “Which is why I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re not going to hurt me.” I crawled into his lap, finding a comfortable position with my legs straddling him. I could feel he didn’t want to keep resisting. “I trust you.”
In the morning he’d be gone, so I refused to let him disappear right then. I was still afraid it could be our only chance to completely indulge in each other’s bodies; I’d wanted to fully see and explore his body for months now and I’d always wonder if I’d allowed him to slip through my fingers.
I began unbuttoning his dress shirt, curious if he would stop me. When he didn’t, I opened his shirt wide and lowered my lips to his smooth chest, planting small kisses across his cool skin. A soft growl rumbled in his throat and he gripped my hair as I continued to slide my lips over his exposed body.
When he gently pulled my hair, forcing my head back, I sat up straight and locked my gaze on his. He looked absolutely ravenous as his smoky eyes bore into mine. His hands slid beneath my shirt and gripped my bare sides, lighting my skin with the most wonderful fire. More of my skin wanted to be against him. I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor.
Matthew drank me in before pulling me into him, wrapping his strong arms around my bare back, exploring the curves and contours. His lips found my neck and nipped at the sensitive skin. He didn’t bite me, though I was preparing myself for the assault. I wasn’t going to stop him if that’s what he truly desired. I just wanted to be what he wanted. I wanted to be what he needed.
With his hands still at my back, he unclasped my bra and I shrugged to help it slide over my shoulders and down my arms. Then I pressed my body into his, every little point of contact sending another shiver through my body.
Matthew stood up, holding me in his arms like I weighed nothing at all, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to his bedroom.
My heart was pounding as he gently laid me on the bed. He removed his shirt before climbing onto the bed and kissing me from navel to neck, then reuniting our aching lips. I wrapped my legs around him again, pulling him into me.
Every part of me wanted to be covered by him, held by him, protected by him. And I never wanted to let go. I didn’t want the morning to come. If only the sun could forget to rise for just one day.
“Don’t leave me,” I breathed in between kisses.
“You’ve got me,” he said. “Forever.”
I was sure he believed that in the moment, but I was so afraid of what the future held for us.
“I love you,” I said.
Without a word, he pulled back and unlocked my legs. For a moment, I thought he was going to once again put an end to our foreplay and find something to cover my nakedness. But then he reached down and slowly ran his fingertips down the center of my body, setting every nerve ending ablaze from his sensual touch. His hand stopped at the top of my jeans, but it didn’t linger long before unfastening the buttons and pulling them off, followed by the very last ounce of clothing I was wearing.
“I love you,” he said, admiring every bit of me—scars and all—in the dim light.
Then he removed his pants and pushed my legs apart. I gasped at the feel of him as he lowered onto me, making my back arch to meet him and ensuring for a short while that I’d forget what I’d be expected to do tomorrow. This beginning could very well be the end for us.
36
Matthew
It was so hard to get Fiona out of my head the next day. I couldn’t take my eyes off her in the morning while she still lay asleep, her nude body spilling out from the thin bedsheets. But as I gazed upon her sleeping form, I also noticed dark bruises from our passion.
“I’m fine,” she assured me once she awoke, holding the sheet up to cover her breasts. “The night—everything—was perfect. I’m not a delicate antique you have to worry about breaking.” She leaned over to kiss me, even pulling at my lower lip with her teeth, before making her way to the bathroom to freshen up.
We had a quiet breakfast together and she left shortly after, though I carried around the stunning vision of her for the rest of the day. I needed to have my head in the game but it was so hard to concentrate while replaying every moment of our intimate evening.
Syrithia insisted on driving, which was fine with me given my current distractions. She drove us into a closed gas station in Hollywood, which looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time. But she had a clicker for the adjoining service garage door, and we drove straight inside.
“Do you own this dump?” I asked as I hopped down from her pickup truck.
“Not me personally,” she said. “But it’s a safe place. There’s nothing to steal outside. The building’s secure, and there’s good surveillance.”
“If you say so.”
We were waiting for Avelina to arrive with the limo that would be used to escort Damien and Clementine from the banquet. We were allowing them to attend the event initially to help keep the attack out of imme
diate media coverage. The same limo service was picking them up, and Lucia would be in that car but wasn’t to make any moves against them—just to keep us updated on the target’s whereabouts until they reached the venue. Then our eyes on the inside would take over.
“Matthew, you’ve been quiet the whole drive up here,” Syrithia said, grabbing a lawn chair from against the garage wall. “Are you with us?”
“Of course,” I said. “I want to get this over with as much as anyone.” And more so, I wanted to discover how much of an impact on the future we’d have by eliminating Damien Galt. My assumption was that very little would change, but that wasn’t information I needed to relay to Syrithia and the order.
“Damien and Clementine are being escorted into the Beverly Hills Hotel now,” Lucia said into the communications system the whole team was hooked into.
I adjusted the volume on my earpiece, which seemed to continually get louder. “No need to yell,” I said.
“You’re coming in fine to me,” Aaron said. He was stationed in the hotel, posing as one of the wait staff. “I see him—both of them.”
I could hear the applause through Aaron’s earpiece—as well as Finn’s and Trent’s earpieces since they were also inside the venue.
“Where’s our car?” I asked Syrithia.
“Why are you asking me?” she said sarcastically, though I could tell she was as impatient as me, her crossed leg kicking wildly. “Avelina, what’s your position?” Then she turned her attention back to me. “It isn’t as if we don’t have time. Dinner isn’t served for another hour.”
“And it will take a good half hour to get there. It’s not like it’s a straight shot from here,” I said.
“I’ll be there in five,” Avelina finally said. “The car wasn’t starting, so we had to sign out another one. But I’m making up for lost time.”
I gave Syrithia a concerned look.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” she said, but her words weren’t convincing. She seemed to be considering the potential implications too.
The garage door began to ascend a few minutes later, and Avelina pulled the limousine inside.
In my earpiece, from the people at the hotel, I could hear the start of speeches, though it was hard to distinguish who was talking.
“I would sure like to get some autographs,” Aaron said.
“Don’t you dare,” Syrithia snarled.
“I’m not actually going to do that, but you should see who’s here. It’s like the full A-list of Hollywood.”
“Along with some titans of industry,” Trent added. “You could get some good insider stock tips from the people in this room.”
“I feel my net worth rising just by being here,” Finn said.
“Stay focused, you idiots,” Syrithia said, then glared at me. “Keep your team under control.”
“Guys, enough on the social commentary. Let’s keep these lines clear for relevant updates.”
“Damien’s taking the stage,” Trent said.
Avelina exited the limo, strolled around to the passenger seat, then pulled the door open to reveal a large unconscious man. He was slumped over, his seat belt serving as the only thing keeping him from spilling out onto the ground.
“I actually had to give him two tranquilizers,” she said, still a little frazzled. “It was ridiculous.”
“Is he still breathing?” I asked, walking over to get him out of the car.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I was just glad I had enough to knock out his fat ass.”
I unbuckled the man and caught him as he tipped out of the seat. He was still alive. I heaved him out of the car, threw him over my shoulder, then looked for a place to set him down.
“You can tie his arms to that post over there,” Syrithia said. She put on the driver’s hat and tucked her blonde hair behind her ears. “Luckily, I have a lot of hair.”
“I think you look super cute,” Avelina said.
I tied the man’s hands together by making him hug a steel pole, then tried to lay him in a semi-comfortable position. Avelina brought a handful of rags she’d found on one of the back shelves and stuffed them under the man’s head.
“That was a good speech,” Trent said. “Very emotional and thought-provoking. Did you know his foundation’s on the verge of curing cancer? I’m almost tempted to give the guy money myself.”
“Thanks for the recap. What’s he doing now?” I asked.
“Shaking hands with some important looking people.”
“Everyone here looks important,” Aaron added.
“Matthew, time to go,” Syrithia said, headed for the driver’s seat of the limo while Avelina rushed toward the pickup.
I hopped into the passenger seat just as Syrithia revved the engine and we sped away in the direction of the Beverly Hills Hotel. The sun was almost down now and the headlights were obscuring my ability to see where Avelina was, behind us.
The navigation system had us take side streets all the way to the hotel, so it did take the full half hour I’d anticipated. We drove up the narrow street behind the hotel and found a spot to park by the loading dock.
“Lucia, are you in position?” Syrithia asked.
“Yes; Kaden and I are by the main entrance,” she replied. “Just awaiting word from inside.”
“Appetizers are finally being served,” Aaron said. “Clementine’s seated at their table, but Damien’s talking with a few gentlemen at a table across the room.”
“Octavius, are you in position?” I asked.
“Locked and loaded,” he replied. “I’ve got a clear view of the ballroom patio.”
“How about you, Thaddeus?” Syrithia asked.
“Front entrance and side street are covered,” Thaddeus said.
“Damien’s on his way back to his table,” Finn said.
Everything seemed to be going well and no alarms appeared to have been tripped by our presence. We had eyes on our targets this time and were specifically on the lookout for any switch attempts.
Syrithia was simply staring out into the dim lights of the loading dock. It was relatively quiet at that time in the evening, most deliveries having been done earlier in the day.
“What’s going to happen if we succeed?” she asked, her focus remaining on the encroaching darkness.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I bet you do. I bet that no matter what happens tonight, it’s not going to change anything.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Just a hunch. You seem… afraid of this mission, but I don’t think you’re afraid of losing.”
“Well, we really won’t know what will happen until it does.”
“His drink’s been spiked,” Aaron said, his voice low. “Trent is delivering it to his table now.”
We sat silently waiting for an update from Trent. “Delivered and drinking,” Trent said after another minute.
Syrithia periodically glanced over at me, but she didn’t say anything now. I felt like the moment we rekindled our conversation, we’d be interrupted by someone on the team, so it was best not even to try.
“Anything happening?” Octavius asked.
“Hold your horses. It’s not immediate,” Aaron chided. “Wait… he’s whispering something to Clementine. He’s leaving the table. Two guards are following him. He’s—he’s leaving the ballroom.”
“I’ll see where he’s going,” Finn said.
Then we were forced to wait another long minute. It was so hard to simply sit there. I wanted to storm into the hotel and drag him out myself but knew it was a bad idea.
“He’s going into the restroom,” Finn said. “I’m not following him into there.”
“Hang out in the lobby, so you’ll see if he tries to leave,” Syrithia instructed.
“Ten-four.”
“You didn’t give him too much, did you?” Kaden asked.
“I gave him exactly what I was supposed to,” Aaron snapped. “It’ll be fine.”
&
nbsp; “Your new guy is very argumentative,” Syrithia said.
“He wasn’t my choice,” I said. “The Assembly voted that we—I needed more help. But really, they wanted someone who’d give them all the dirt from the mission—the details, I’d probably leave out.”
“They don’t trust you?”
“They don’t trust vampires—including me.” I didn’t elaborate that it wasn’t everyone, but for the group as a whole, it was true enough.
“Well, it is hard to find people you can trust nowadays,” Syrithia said with a shrug.
“He’s on his way back to the ballroom,” Finn said. “He looks fine. Must just have had to take a leak.”
“Thanks for that,” Lucia said.
“No problem, sweetheart.”
“Call me that to my face and I’ll kick your ass into your throat.”
“Charming visual,” Octavius said.
I smirked at Syrithia. “It’s not just my guys, then,” I said.
“Okay; he’s leaning in toward Clementine again,” Aaron said. “He’s not sitting down. He doesn’t look happy.”
“Is it a go?” Trent asked.
“I’m not sure yet but be ready.” Aaron paused. “He’s talking to some other fat-cat businessman at his table. Okay… they’re leaving. Repeat; they’re on the move. Two security guards are—scratch that—four security guards are joining them.”
“Here goes,” Trent said, and a moment later, we could all hear a loud crash from somewhere in the building. Trent had caused a major food-related accident in the lobby—thus cutting off the hallway to the front entrance—attempting to steer them in our direction. But Lucia and Kaden could also pick them up near valet.
Within seconds, a company phone sitting on the center console began to ring and Syrithia didn’t hesitate to answer the call. “Yes, sir. Of course, I’m still here. I’m ready to go whenever you are.” She promptly hung up and smirked at me. “Showtime,” she said, adjusted her driver’s cap, and hopped out of the car.
Syrithia and Lucia were a similar build, both with long blonde hair. At first glance, they could easily be mistaken for one another. It had to be hoped that Damien or anyone from his team didn’t get a good look at Lucia earlier that night, otherwise it could have turned ugly very fast. However, I was ready for whatever might happen.
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