Blood Haze (5 page)

With
hands that shook, she scurried off the stage, bypassing the audience, en route
to her dressing room. She chanced one more glance, to find him following her
with those dark, piercing eyes, and a slight smirking of his lips. He’d
known
how he’d affected her. Shame
caused her cheeks to redden. He was her boss, and she’d totally blown her set…
with him in the audience. He must think her a complete idiot. She knew Karmyl
would be expecting her, but she just couldn’t face
him
. Karmyl would just have to understand.

Feeling
very much out of sorts, Arabella sat down heavily in front of her dressing
table. She pushed hands that trembled into her hair and leaned her elbows on
the table’s edge. She took several deep breaths to try and calm her scattered
senses. What was wrong with her? She’d never had any man affect her so much. That
thought cut her to pieces. What’d that really say about the true nature of her
relationship to Drew? Was she so afraid to be alone that she had clung to what
was familiar? Had forced Drew to do the same.
God, what had she done
?

She
closed her eyes and pressed her fingers into them. She’d not performed this
poorly since her teens. She was thankful for the quietness of the room as she
struggled to pull herself together. Wanting to slink away more than anything,
she grabbed her phone out of her purse and sent a text to Karmyl’s phone:
Really
needed to go home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. K?
Pushing
the send button, she noted how low her battery was before throwing it back into
her purse, grabbed her wrap, and slipped out the back entrance.

Circling
the building, she moved swiftly into the well-lit parking lot, unlocked her
car, and wearily slid behind the wheel. She rested her forehead against the
leather-bound steering wheel. Her earlier anticipation of surprising Drew left
her feeling almost bereft. With a tired sigh, she leaned forward and stuck her
key into the ignition and turned.
Click,
click
. She frowned at the sound. Releasing the key for an instant, she
tried it again.
Click, click
.
Something was wrong with her car. Could the day get any worse?

Popping
the hood from under the dash, she got out of the car and moved to the front of
it and unlatched the locking mechanism. She lifted the hood and felt around
until she found the holding arm, slipping it into place, she laid her palms
against the car and peered down into the darken cavern containing the engine.
She wasn’t sure why she was looking at the engine, it wasn’t as if she knew
anything about repairing it.

Frustration
had tears springing into her eyes. Mindlessly, she wiped against them,
streaking her cheek with dirt and grime. The night had been a dismal failure.
She’d never felt so alone. More than anything, she wanted to be home.

“What’s
going on under here?” an amused voice said, from over her shoulder.

She
tensed and struggled to stifle the sob which threatened to spill from her lips.
With the back of her hand, she again swiped against her cheek, spreading the
dirt around.

Lynx
placed his hands lightly against the top of her shoulders. “Hey,” he murmured
gently, “It can’t possibly be that bad.”

She
opened her mouth to respond, but tears clogged her throat. If he didn’t think
she was an idiot before, he certainly would now. Her chest rose and fell
quickly as she sucked in a breath, striving to calm herself.

He
turned her to face him. She struggled, but not wanting to make an even bigger
spectacle of herself, she finally turned to face him. He looked down into her
face and smiled gently. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a white-linen
handkerchief and began to wipe at the dirt and tears. “Long night?” he asked
quietly.

“An
awful one.”

“What
happened?” he asked, as he continued to swipe against her face.

“I
just… I was… I wanted…,” she stumbled over her words, trying to find something
that would make sense without revealing the real source of her pain… or the
real source of her confusion. Finally, she blurted out, “I forgot the words to
my songs.”

He
stilled, then threw his head back and laughed. Shock at his reaction to her
obvious distress, made her pause. Then, her lips began to twitch as the absurdness
of her words hit her as well.

Still
smiling, he asked, indicating the open hood, “So… is this your take on sticking
your head in the oven?”

Inhaling
deeply, her shoulders slumped. “No,” she mumbled, “my car won’t start.”

His
eyebrows drew together. “Do you know how to fix a car that won’t start?”

She
blew out the breath she’d just inhaled. “No.”

As
he’d done the night before, he brushed her hair away from her face and pushed
it over her shoulder. “So, what are you doing, then?”

The
velvetiness of his voice washed over her. She struggled to remember the course
of their conversation as she breathed him in. She stared up into his deep eyes
for a long moment before giving a simple shrug of her shoulder. Oddly, she
immediately began to feel calmer.

“Well…
it’s good for you, I do know how to take care of this,” he said as he stared
down deeply into her eyes.

Unable
to look away, she said. “You do?”

“Uh
huh. Tonight, I’ll take you home, then tomorrow, I get my guy to come over and
take a look at it,” he replied softly, as he gently traced the curve of her
face.

She
blinked as she took in his words. She gave a small shake of her head to try and
clear her jumbled thoughts. “Your guy? No, please I don’t want to be an
inconvenience. I can…” she began before he cut her off.

Arabella
shivered as that same warm flush stole through her body. She saw Lynx stiffened
as if he sensed her intense arousal. “It’s not an inconvenience. I insist,” he
replied in his lilted voice.

She
stared up into his sultry eyes and couldn’t think of one reason to continue to
resist him. “Thank you. I’d appreciate a lift home.”

As
they drove, he saw her shiver next to him. He sensed her nervousness. He
liked
her nervousness. He also sensed
her sadness. He didn’t like that at all. He wondered what’d happened to her
since he’d seen her last. He wished he could read her mind. But all his
animalistic senses could pick up was the anxiousness and her attempt to hide
it. She sat with her shoulders straight, looking forward through the windshield
at the passing scenery… what little she could see of it.

He
felt a flutter of excitement rush through him. He wanted this woman and he
would have her. She wouldn’t be able to resist him indefinitely. He longed to
see her without clothes… for two reasons. One, was for the obvious – she was a
very beautiful woman; the other, was to determine how often she’d been fed upon
and when she could be feed from again. He planned on taking her body, then
drinking her scorching-hot blood. It annoyed him to think of others who’d had
the privilege. But working in a club like the Night Owl with many of its
patrons being vampires, he didn’t see how she’d not been fed from many times.
He wondered if she’d enjoyed it? Could she feel the rush of her blood leaving
her body? Did the tingle of it zip through her? The thought made him hard. He
shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

He’d
never know whether she’d enjoyed it or not, sadly, because undoubtedly, her
mind would have been hazed after each time. He’d have to be sure to ask her
before he hazed her which would wipe her memory of the feeding.

“Are
you warm enough?” he asked her.

She
tensed as he spoke. “It’s a little cool,” she replied.

“You
can adjust the air to whatever you’d like,” he said.

He
watched as she fiddled with the heating controls and turned the vents toward
herself.

“How
long have you worked at the Night Owl?” he asked.

“About
six months,” she replied.

Watching
her as she clasped her hands in her lap, he asked, “How long have you been a
singer?”

A
sad expression darted across her face. “All my life. My mom was a singer on
Broadway. She had a beautiful voice,” she replied.

“
Had
a beautiful voice? She no longer
sings?” he asked.

She
glanced down at her hands and he could feel the sadness roll off her in waves.
“No, she was killed a while ago.”

“I’m
sorry, “he murmured, and strangely he was. “How did she die, if you don’t mind
me asking?”

He
sensed her unease. “I… I’d really rather not talk about it,” she replied,
glancing quickly out the side window.

“Of
course. Please excuse my rudeness. It was thoughtless of me,” he said silkily.

Silence
stretched between them before she cleared her throat and asked, “What do you do
for a living?”

He
smiled in the darkness. Humans were so predictable. Every human female he’d
ever been with had asked that question. When would they learn that money wasn’t
everything?

He
gave her the answer he’d perfected over the years. “I dabble in a little bit of
everything… stocks, money-market, and import/export. Of course, having family
money helps as well,” he said flashing her a huge grin. He hardened even
further when he heard her sharp intake of air. She found him attractive… they
always did. His lips curved into a satisfied grin. But it faded as he realized
he was a little disappointed the challenge was gone. He’d been looking forward
to breaking down her defenses. Oh well, he’d still enjoy his evening… he’d make
sure of it.

Arabella
shivered as a rush of warmth flirted over her skin. What was wrong with her?
She wanted him. But how could that possibly be?
 
She didn’t fawn over men. The fact was, she’d
only ever been with one man in her life, and that was Drew… and he’d just
broken up with her. She really needed to get a grip.

This
man, for all intent and purpose, was her boss. But it seemed no matter how hard
and how many times she berated herself, she still struggled to contain her
scattered emotions. Just the mere sight of his fingers on the steering wheel
had her wondering how they’d feel running over her skin. She shivered. She
really needed to pull it together. Wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of mourning
period or something when your boyfriend dumped you? Anger flashed red-hot within
her.
Stupid Drew
! She found she liked
the anger way better than the lost feelings she’d had since Drew had called
her.

So
lost in her mixed-up thoughts, she nearly missed his question. “What happened
at the club last night? Jealous girlfriend?”

She
glanced away before answering softly, “I… I guess.”

They
drove in silence for a few minutes, then he asked, “Do you have any other
family?”

She
swallowed to try and add moisture to her dry mouth. “There’s only me and Ian,
my brother.”

He
nodded thoughtfully. “So… both parents are passed? I’m sorry to hear that.”

Uncomfortable
with talking about her parents’ demise, she shifted the conversation back to
him. “What about you? Are there any other Rogan’s roaming around?”

He
smiled at her again. “My parents reside on our estate on the coast of Cape Horn.
Beside Karmyl and myself, I have two brothers, Nicolas and Talon – Nicolas is
married to a wonderful girl, Felicia. I, also, have two other half-sisters,
Selena and Tara. Now that I’m back, we all currently live at Night Shade.
Fortunately for us, the estate is big enough where we don’t have to see one
another if we don’t so choose,” he said.

Almost
unable to resist asking, she said, “A wife? Children?”

He
shook his head. “No, neither. You?” While he asked the question, he’d have no
qualms in taking what he wanted from this woman. But somewhere down deep, he
hoped she wasn’t married. He didn’t like the thought of it.

A
sharp twinge pinched within her chest. Slowly she shook her head. “No, I’ve
never been married.”

“Why?”
he asked.

“Different
reasons,” she replied simply, unwilling to admit she’d never been asked.

He
eyed her for several long moments before saying, “He’s a fool.”

She
blushed at his words.

She
directed him to her house. When he made to get out of the car, she laid a
restraining hand on his arm. “There’s no need to see me in. I’ve put you out
enough,” she said quickly.

“Don’t
be silly. Of course a gentleman sees a woman to her door. What would Karmyl
say?” he replied.

Exhaling
silently, she waited until he walked around to her side of the sedan to open
her door. In true gentlemanly fashion, Lynx placed a hand against the small of
her back. His cool touch felt so intimate. She felt her blood stir at his
touch.
Get a grip
, she told her
again.

He
grinned at her internal struggle. She’d do well never to play poker because she
could not hide her emotions very well. He felt her shiver beneath his hand. It
wouldn’t be long now and she’d be shivering for totally different reasons.