Claiming Their Cat (19 page)

Even before Lucy
put the key in
lock on
her
house
door, she knew Draco, the crazy one, was here. Hell, he probably just transported himself
right
into her home without even turning the doorknob. She dumped her purse on the kitchen table and pulled up short when she noticed the red rose petals in a line leading out of the kitchen. As she passed into the dining room, candles flared to light on their own illuminating the way.

“Neat trick,” she muttered to herself.
Would come in handy when the power goes out.
She followed the rose petals and the candles down the hallway and finally into her living room. Lucy paused at the door. Draco stood by the fire in the fireplace surprisingly dressed in jeans and black t-shirt. He looked almost—normal.

“I hope you’re hungry.” He waved his hand, and candles sprang to life on the
table
she hadn’t
noticed
. “Have a seat. I have it on reliable
authority
that you haven’t eaten today.”

Those damned security goons that Rio ha
d
assigned to her were apparently snitches too. Just having them around irked the hell out of her, disrupted her whole day. It was just not going to
work
and she was still considering checking herself into a mental facility.

Draco held a chair out for her, and she pl
opped
down hard.
Just because this appeared to be an elegant meal, didn’t mean she had to act elegantly
,
especially in scrubs.
Maybe she could deal with him and everything else on a full stomach. The two highly
ornate
,
silver
food covers levitated off the trays. Wonderful smells emanated from the plate.
Filet, stuffed potato, and sautéed asparagus.
How did he know?

The wine bottle hovered and poured the wine. “With you, I guess you don’t need cooks, maids, or gardeners.”

“No. I am pretty much self-sufficient, which is why I’m such a
great
catch.”

Well, he didn’t waste any time.
She had to admit, if Draco weren’t a vampire, she would definitely pursue him, but the whole vamp thing turned her off.
After swallowing the best steak she’d ever eaten, she pointed her fork at him. “I bet you’re arrogant, self-centered, spoiled and a bunch more adjectives that I can’t think of right now.”

“You forgot handsome, sexy, witty, and loyal.”

“Loyal? To what?”

“Whatever is most important at the time.”

“So, you’re fickle?”

He really had a beautiful smile.
“No, but priorities change in life, so that makes me adaptable.”

“I suppose, you can be anything you want, get anything you want.”

Something fleeted across his face, but it was
quickly
gone. “All the material things, but not so much the other things.”

She knew she was going to regret this. “Like?”

“Like allowing my mate to continue her daily duties while I’m stuck in the sleep of the dead, protected by two handsome werewolves.”

“You’re—jealous?” Unbelievable. Draco must
have
women lined up at his door. And indeed the two goons assigned to her were handsome men,
though
she wasn’t the least bit attracted to them.

“Damn straight. You should let me
convert
you to a vampire and then you can sleep when I sleep and
be
awake when I can
protect
you.”

Lucy recognized the same
determination
that she’d seen in Rio.
She hadn’t liked it then, and she sure as hell didn’t like it now.
Did vampires and werewolves think human women would just
fall
at their feet? Rio’s Cat had been afraid of
him
and probably of this Alvarez who was hunting her. Lucy, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid of anything except the
possibility
she was losing her mind.

“I have a business to run.”

“There’s no need for you to
work
. I have plenty of money to
last
us for the next thousand years.”

“A thousand years? No thanks.”

“I’m over nine hundred years old. After you’re converted, you won’t
age
either. We can live anywhere you want.”

“I don’t want to live anywhere else. I don’t want to
live
another thousand years, and I certainly will not give up my
practice
.”

Draco turned his attention to his steak.
Did vampires even eat, or was this an illusion for her benefit?
If she didn’t know better, she’d guess that he was pouting. Fate had stuck her with a vampire who pouts.
Luc
k
y me.

After draining her wine glass, she refilled it—the old fashion way. She tried to
enjoy
her meal, but she’d never been
good
at dealing with conflict, which was why she owned her own
practice
, was her own boss, and didn’t have to put up with other people’s shit.

“Okay,” he finally said. “You can
run
a night clinic, and I can be there to—help. I can be your night security.”

Dressed as he was tonight, he could pass for a human.
Certainly not dressed all in black like he was the first time she’d met him.

“You don’t want to spend your waking—nights babysitting me. I’m not worth it.”

“You mean
I’m
not worth it.”

Her chest ached a little.
He looked like a sad puppy, but that was exactly what she meant.
“Listen, I
appreciate
you saving me, and not keeping me
hostage
. I
appreciate
what you’ve done for me tonight.”

“But.”

“I…”

“Don’t you find me at least a little bit attractive?”

Was he fishing for a compliment or did he
seriously
want to know?
“I find you very attractive.
It’s the
whole
fang
thing
that I can’t get
past
.”

Frustration wasn’t something
Draco was familiar with
,
and he sure as hell didn’t like it. Rio’s
plan
wasn’t for shit.
At least she found him attractive.
That helped his ego a tad. His whole life he had lacked for nothing, especially in the female department. And now, with the only one who he’d ever given a damn about, he couldn’t even get out of the batter’s
box
much less to first base.

“I can’t help that I was converted to a vampire when I was thirty-four. I didn’t
ask
to be turned even when I lay bleeding and dying in a dirty street in London. The
stranger
only stated that if I didn’t like what I’d
become
, I could always
seek
the sunlight. Of course, I accepted his
offer
especially since he didn’t want anything else in return.”

“You don’t sound English.”

“Nope. Wherever I live, I always
drop
my current
accent
and pick up the local one. Blending in is the best policy.”

Draco waved his hand and the dishes on the tabled quietly hovered to a cart in the corner. Then two more dishes took their place. Before he could
wave
the covers off, Lucy reached and removed her own. So, she’s not impressed with his tricks. He removed his
cover
too—by hand.

“Yum,
c
hocolate
c
heesecake. My favorite.”

He could almost see the joy in her eyes. At least he’d gotten one thing right. He watched her
dig
in as different ways to
serve
chocolate cheesecake invaded his mind.
He could imagine her licking it off his cock.
Him licking it off her clit.

“Are you eating or just pretending to eat?”

“Why do you ask?”

“In all those romance novels I read, the vampires don’t eat
;
they j
ust pretend.”

“I can eat, but I don’t need to.”

“Well, thank you for—eating—since you don’t have to.”

“It was my pleasure.”

After a few more bites, she asked, “So, do you like being a vampire?”

Fuck, that was a tricky question. What was not to like. You lived forever, pretty much had everything you wanted, or had the ability to
take
it if you wanted it
bad
enough. But you couldn’t watch the sunrise, go hiking or climbing or waterskiing. “I
suppose
so since I haven’t walked into the sun. I’ve seen the horrors that man has inflicted on each other over my long
lifetime
. Wars aren’t pretty. In the end, everyone loses something. A father, brother, sister, mother.” And of course, he’d never known loneliness until now.

“Yes, it is tragic that we all can’t play nice in the same sandbox.”

Shit. He should have kept his mouth shut instead of spewing
melancholy
thoughts.

“You haven’t eaten your dessert,” she said.

He shrugged. “Tell me about yourself.”

“It’s boring, really.”

“No. I want to know.” Of course, he’d already
research
her.

“Graduated med school, worked for a couple of jerk doctors, opened my own practice so I didn’t have to take orders from anyone else.
Parents died three years
back
. No siblings. One marriage. One divorce.”

He knew all that. What he wanted to know was her hopes, dreams, and desires.

“Do you want kids?”

Her gaze locked with his. “Wanted, but I’m a little too old now.”

Only in human years. She was just a babe to him, but vampire children were extremely rare. He decided not to
point
that out. He scooped a dollop of cheesecake on his fork. “I wonder what it would taste like if I ate this off—your clit.”

Her sharp intake of breath pleased him.
His spies had reported that she hadn’t had a boyfriend in years.

“Are vamps always sexual?”

“Yes. But humans are
too
. What’s your
favorite se
xual fantasy?” She blushed. Draco pushed at her brain, hoping she would allow him in, but of course, her mind was like a steel trap.

“I don’t know. What’s your
fantasy
?”

“Oh, I have many. One is that you’ll
come
over here, pull out my cock, and
use
your hot little
mouth
to pleasure me.” Her pulse
beat
frantically at her neck, caused him to
force
his gaze
elsewhere
.
According to her, showing fangs
were
a turn off.
“Another one would be to lay you on this table, remove your clothes piece by piece
,
and savor the revealing of your sensuous skin.
Then I’d
taste
every inch of you, suck your clit, but not
let
you
come
until you begged me.”

His Lucy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her sweet musk reached his nose. Ah, so she wasn’t totally immune to him.

“Another fantasy would be to tie you to the bed, so you could be my slave the entire night.
I’d torture you with my tongue, my cock. You’d be so sated you’d sleep curled against me the rest of the night.”

Lucy scratched her forehead with a trembling hand. What was that
brain
of hers thinking? All the reasons not to make love? He needed to get her over her fear, past her
logical
brain
and to the passionate
woman
the resided inside. “I promise not to use my fangs,” he added, not sure if mentioning the offending body part would ruin the
mood
or soothe her.

She crossed her legs and downed her wine. He’d thought about spiking it with a witch’s aphrodisiac, but decide that even he wouldn’t stoop that low.

“What is it with the fangs and sex?” she asked.

“Drinking from someone during orgasm makes it
amazing
.” He decided to change tactics, be
bold
,
and hope she hopped on for the ride. “I can’t wait to taste you as I come.”

“That will never happen, buddy.”

“You are my
mate
. I can’t have sex with anyone else, only you.”

“It’s gotta suck to be you then.”

He had to smile at her quick wit. “Perhaps I stated it incorrectly. I don’t
want
to have sex with anyone but you. And I can wait.”

“You don’t look like someone who would be good at being celibate.”

Draco was
skilled
at anything he put his
mind
too, and she was wrong. Just thinking about all those
orgi
es
he used to have turned his stomach.
He’d fucked and feasted on lots of women, and always left them wanting more, but things had changed.
He had changed. Only his
mate
would do for him now. It was
apparent
that she wasn’t
ready
to let him seduce her.

But he could
wait
. Bide his
time
until he won her over.

“Would you like some coffee?” he asked. A porcelain cup and saucer floated by the table, along with her favorite
brew
.

“No thanks. I’m
rather
tired. I think I’ll
turn
in early.”

“So, you’re not going to fuck me.”

“No.”

“But you want to?”

Surprise registered in her eyes. Was it because she wanted to or because of his brashness?

“I
want
a lot of things, Mr. Draco. When I was a child, I wanted to
consume
mountains of candy. As an adult, I want to eat mounds of sweet chocolate and wine. None of which is
good
for me.”

“So, I remind you of candy you want to lick, sweet chocolate you want to eat, and refreshing wine you want to drink.”

Lucy’s lips quirked into a smile. “That’s not what I said.”

“But that’s what I heard.” He swirled his fingers and things began cleaning themselves up. His best bet was to
plant
naughty things in her head and then leave her alone to contemplate them. “How about a movie tomorrow night
?
”

She opened her mouth to
respond
, but he cut her off. “Tomorrow’s Saturday and I know the clinic’s not
open
on Saturday. I’ll
pick
you up at seven.”

“You own a car?”

“Yes.
1937 Bugatti 57S
.”

“Sounds expensive.”

“It’s a classic
,” he said.

“Of course it is.”

Draco resisted pulling her into his arms and placing a not so sweet kiss on her luscious lips.
B
ut he had one more card up his sleeve for tonight and he couldn’t wait. So, he followed the clattering cart out the back door.