After Sundown: Redemption (13 page)

It should have hurt. Somehow she knew that. But it didn’t. Instead, the pull of Christian’s mouth sent lust crashing through her. The feel of his fingers running up and down her leg, the sight of his head bent over her, the silky curtain of his hair covering his face and brushing against her. It was too much. Desire climbed up inside her. Alyssa tilted her head back and closed her eyes tight. She tried to fight it. Tried to deny what was happening to her. But it was no use. She was helpless to stop the wave of pleasure that crashed over her. She splintered into a million pieces.

* * * * *

Christian carried a still unconscious Alyssa to the couch and laid her down on it. He didn’t trust himself in her bedroom right now. She was too much of a temptation. He quickly applied the antiseptic to her foot, although he knew it wasn’t necessary. Like all vampires, he had something in his saliva that promoted fast healing. Alyssa’s cut would be healed by morning.

She looked peaceful in sleep. Content. He smiled at that. Content. That’s exactly the opposite of what he felt right now. He had thought one taste of Alyssa would satisfy him. He should have known better. Instead it had increased his hunger tenfold. Although her sweetness had tasted like nectar, his true pleasure came from watching Alyssa lose herself in his touch.

Since joining up with Vlad, Christian always used mental transference on those he drank from. He made the experience comfortable for them and then left them forgetting it ever happened. But he had never taken it a step further. The way Bazhena had done with him, that first time. Leaving him gasping with pleasure, begging for more as she brought him over. She did this with her “special” victims. Bringing them intense pleasure while draining them completely, until their heart stopped beating.

He had always made those he fed from comfortable, but this was the first time he had let himself go. Let his power bring pleasure. He had taken Alyssa. Not in the traditional human sense, but nevertheless they had shared something. And it had been incredible. He had felt every emotion she did. And when she finally let go, let him bring her to her peak, he had almost lost it.

He stood up in an effort to make himself more comfortable. His body was strung too tight, to the point of pain. Pacing back and forth, he struggled to get himself under control. Once he calmed down, he sat in a chair facing Alyssa.

After what he had learned last night from the mortal woman at Twice Charmed, he knew he needed to watch over Alyssa as long as possible, until the sun was close to rising. Bazhena meant to have her. Christian would never allow that.

Alyssa was his.

He wished he could stay longer. Wished he could watch the sunrise with her, share the day with her, not just the night. But he knew that was impossible. Apples and sunshine. They were no longer part of his life. Now only darkness and death belonged to him.

* * * * *

Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open. She looked around in dismay. Why was she lying on her couch? She could tell by the light pouring through her front window that it was morning. Why had she slept on her couch all night? She sat up slowly, gently removing Jonathan from where he lay on her chest and noticed that the TV, showing nothing but static, was still on. She tried to clear the fuzz from her brain. What had happened last night? She looked down at the coffee table in front of her and saw the video cases. That’s right. She had spent the evening at home, watching a video vampire marathon.

Vampire? Christian! Now she remembered! Grabbing her foot, she pulled it onto her lap. She searched the bottom of it. Where was it? There was no cut! How was that possible? Had it just been a dream? No, it had been too real. She jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen. She looked in the garbage can and saw the shards of glass in there. It had really happened.

It all came rushing back. Christian was in her apartment. She dropped her glass and cut her foot. That’s when things got strange. He carried her to the bathroom. Then he…he—she couldn’t even admit to herself what she’d let him do. And more to the point, how she reacted to what he had done.

She had sat there like a helpless ninny and allowed Christian to take what he needed from her, even wanted him to take it from her. Without an argument or fight. And if that wasn’t enough, she had not only lost control of the situation, she had also lost control of herself. Just like she had always promised herself she would never do. Just like her mother had always done, letting Alyssa’s father take over her life completely. Memories of her mother’s dependent behavior filled her head.

Shame washed over Alyssa.

Then anger.

She would not let this happen! She was stronger than that. She could handle the situation. It was a momentary lapse, nothing more. And she would tell Christian that when she saw him tonight. The thought of looking into those seductive mocha eyes and hearing his husky voice made her heart race.

No. It wasn’t going to be like that. She would be in control of herself. He was a vampire. Yes, that was very unsettling and kind of freaky, but she needed to get over that. Move on.

Alyssa had one more engagement after tonight and then she would be done. Hopefully between now and then, Christian would find the creep responsible for stalking her and put a stop to it. Those two issues should and would be the focus of her relationship with Christian from now on. She would concentrate on getting through her next two speeches and he would protect her from her stalker, possibly discovering who it was.

That’s all she could handle right now. That’s all she would deal with. She was not her mother. She would never be her mother. She was an intelligent, independent woman, who was doing just fine on her on. She made that her mantra over the next hour while she ate breakfast, then showered and dressed. As she was brushing her teeth, the phone rang. Spitting out as much toothpaste as possible, she raced to the phone.

“Herro?”

“Alyssa? Is that you dear?”

Her aunt’s voice sounded confused.

“Yesh. Hode on.”

“What?”

Alyssa ran back to the sink and quickly rinsed the rest of the toothpaste out of her mouth. She heard her aunt asking, “Hello? Is anyone there? Alyssa? Are you there?”

Drying her mouth she put the receiver back up to her ear.

“Yes, it’s me. Hi, Aunt Joyce. Sorry about that. I was brushing my teeth.”

“That’s all right, sweetie. Are you almost ready?”

“Ready?”

“Yes, you know, for our shopping trip? Remember you and I are going to hit the secondhand shops today to find that special dress for the reception tonight?”

As her aunt spoke, Alyssa remembered about tonight’s speech. Her aunt had set up tonight’s engagement with the Arizona Women’s Chapter Against Domestic Abuse. Women from all over the state would be coming and then a cocktail reception was being held afterwards.

Alyssa had wanted to wear one of her usual business suits for the speech, but her aunt insisted that she wear something dressier for the reception afterwards. She had explained that many of the women in this group were prominent business, political and social leaders. This event was a black tie event so Alyssa had to dress accordingly.

“Oh, no! I forgot to mention this to Christian. He’s going to feel out of place if he’s not wearing a tuxedo. Aunt Joyce, I need to call the agency and leave a message for him—”

“Don’t worry, Alyssa. It’s taken care of. I called your publicist yesterday and got Sundown Security’s phone number. I spoke to a Mr. Maksimovitch and mentioned it to him. He’ll make sure Mr. Galiano is properly dressed.”

“You talked to Vlad, uh, Mr. Maksimovitch?”

“Well, yes. I had a few questions for him.”

Alyssa tried not to let the irritation come out in her voice. Sometimes her aunt still treated her like a child.

“That really wasn’t necessary, Aunt Joyce. I could have called myself.”

“I know that, dear. But you have to humor me sometimes. You’re always so busy and I worry about you. After all, you are my only niece. I just wanted to make sure they were taking good care of you. That’s all.”

Alyssa irritation melted away at her aunt’s caring words.

“Thank you for taking care of that, Aunt Joyce.”

“You’re welcome, dear. Now, are you ready to shop?”

“When am I not ready?”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Alyssa’s aunt chuckled. Shopping was an activity they enjoyed doing together.

Twenty minutes later her aunt picked her up at her apartment. Alyssa loved to browse at secondhand and antique stores down in the Willow District. That area of downtown Phoenix was revitalized with little antique and clothing shops as well as galleries. She liked the atmosphere and selections available, especially when it came to dressing for special occasions. She always managed to find clothes that were more to her tastes, instead of the latest fashions.

They spent almost all day shopping, with only a small break for lunch at Willow Bakery. The fresh breads and pastries were always a temptation that she and her aunt had a hard time resisting. After lunch, Aunt Joyce managed to pick out several outfits. Alyssa bought a beautiful antique pillbox at one shop, but no outfits until the very last shop they visited.

Her aunt discovered the dress first and rushed over to show it to her.

“This would be perfect for tonight.”

“It’s not very professional looking.”

“You aren’t supposed to look professional tonight,” her aunt reminded her. “Just try it on. Please?”

Alyssa looked at the frothy creation and doubted she would like how it fit. Her full figure made her very particular about which outfits she wore. But she would try it on for her aunt. She went into the dressing room and started undressing. Her aunt passed a pair of shoes and sheer scarf under the stall door.

“Here, try these too. They’ll match perfectly.”

The minute Alyssa put the ice blue, floor-length dress on and looked in the mirror, she knew she would buy it. It was soft and feminine, while being sleek and sexy at the same time. It hugged her shape with a fabric that looked and felt lighter than air. The scooped, cowl neckline layered softly down, barely showing the rise of her breasts, which were pushed slightly up by the cut of the bodice. The waistline of the dress cinched in, making it appear small, then flowed along her body’s curves all the way to the floor. And her aunt was right, the light blue shoes and chiffon scarf she had found later perfectly complimented the dress. She loved it.

Her aunt dropped her off at home later and told Alyssa she would see her tonight at the Scottsdale Plaza Hotel. The women’s group she was speaking to had rented a banquet room at the luxury resort. The whole event would be a fundraiser for women’s shelters and assistance. Alyssa was not charging for her appearance tonight. It was a cause she believed in strongly.

As she dressed that evening, her thoughts returned to Christian and the events of the previous night. She reminded herself of her resolutions. Concentrate on the goals. Get through the speeches. Let Christian protect her. That’s it. No more intimate and strange moments. Professional, professional, professional. She gave herself a final pep talk right before her doorbell rang. She was ready. She could handle this, could handle him. After a quick glance through the peephole, she saw Christian. Taking a deep breath, she put on a forced smile and opened the door.

Her smile faltered and she sucked in her breath. Christian stood in the doorway wearing a tuxedo. Her gaze roamed hungrily over him. It stopped at his lips. Focused on them. Alyssa remembered the feel of them pressed against her skin. She shivered. But it wasn’t from being cold. Her insides went up in flames. One totally primitive thought entered her mind, negating every other.

I Want Him Now.

Chapter Seven

Apples and sunshine.

It was all he could think about when Alyssa answered the door in a sexy frothy blue dress that matched her eyes. He let his eyes travel the length of her, lingering on the low scoop neckline. Knowing how sweet she tasted made the sight of her exposed flesh an exquisite torture. The fact that her dress clung lovingly to her ample curves didn’t help.

The soft color and material haloed her body, while the design fit her to perfection. Like its wearer, the dress was a mix of innocence and seduction. And he craved to explore both. He wanted to taste her innocence and plunder her until he found satisfaction. He looked at her face and groaned softly. She wore her hair up again. Tendrils curled around her delicate neck. A neck, he noticed, which was swathed in a sheer blue scarf the same shade as her dress.