Hunting Karoly (14 page)

Abruptly, I managed to force my inert body to move, staggering to my feet and realizing as I did so that I hadn’t actually breathed for some time. Muttering some incoherent explanation to my guests, I leapt after the vampire and hastily closed the door behind us. I had to warn him—and warn him off.

I meant to confront him in the relative safety of the kitchen, from where tantalizing, herby smells already emanated, but he was waiting for me in the hall. Without a word, he reached for me, pulling me ’til my back was against the wall next to the door. Panicked, I tried to speak, tried to force myself to push him away, but he just took my face between his hands and bent his head, capturing my lips.

I was lost. The vampire could still kiss and I was only human. My arms lifted of their own volition. My hands slid around his hard waist ’til they lay flat against his back. Then, as he deepened the kiss, ravishing my mouth with his tongue and teeth, my fingers clenched, grasping at his shirt for support.

I had dreamed of this, secretly, most of my waking hours for more than a month. How could I not kiss him back, wind my tongue around his, draw his silken mouth deeper into mine?

He tasted of sweet earth and subtle spice and something purely, powerfully Karoly. Something already familiar and yet thrillingly, wickedly new. It overwhelmed me, left me helpless in the grip of my own desires and his. His mouth turned mine over and over, plundered it ruthlessly. When he began to thrust rhythmically with his tongue in deliberate simulation of fucking, my knees buckled. Only his hands on my face and his body pinning me to the wall held me upright.

I came up for air, gasping. I glimpsed his smile, those dangerous, sexy fangs and then he took my mouth back. It felt as if I’d come home. I welcomed his conquering, sensual lips, sank farther into the heat.

I don’t know how long that kiss went on, long enough, certainly, for me to be crying out for his touch on other parts of my hot, trembling body. But he only held my face, kissing my mouth as if he’d never leave it and in the end it was my mews of frustrated desire that made him break off.

His eyes had darkened to black and gold, almost opaque with his own need. For some reason, that gave me back some semblance of sense. And grief, because we were back where we’d started.

“You have to stop kissing me,” I whispered in anguish.

“But I love kissing you.”

I pulled away from him, striding along the hall to the kitchen with his provocative voice following me like an accusation. “You are so passionate and you enjoy it so much.”

“Shut up!” I hissed, though whether to prevent the others hearing him or just myself, I was far from sure. Slamming into the kitchen, I turned on him as soon as he closed the door behind us.

“Look, you have to go! This entire building is
stuffed
with psychics, every one of whom is a threat to you! You’re lucky to have got this…”

“No I’m not,” he interrupted, making me blink and lose my thread.

“What?”

“It’s not luck. None of these psychics threaten me.
You
are the only vampire hunter in the building. Don’t you think I would feel it?” I must have been staring at him with dumb incomprehension, because he stepped forward and, with one finger under my chin, pushed my lower jaw up ’til it connected with its partner. “It’s a rare gift,” he explained.

I jerked away from him. “Why are you really here, Karoly? What is it you want? Why did you contact me, help me?”

Desperate for distraction, I looked at what he’d put in a large pan on the stove. Delicious aromas wafted up into my nostrils, making my mouth water despite everything else going on.

He said, “I came to see how you were, if those who made you unhappy were treating you better.”

“
You
made me unhappy!” I burst out, twirling round from the pot to hit him in the chest with both fists. “
You
!”

He took the opportunity to kiss me again, so thoroughly that I couldn’t help wishing the kitchen was big enough to hold a table we could have fallen on to. Especially when he folded me into his muscular arms and held me close against him. Through his kilt and my skirt, the hardness of his cock pressed into my abdomen, promising wicked delight and all the sensual pleasures I’d been craving for so long.

Against my lips, he said, “You were unhappy—lost—before you met me. It was I who helped you find your way back.”

At that I pushed him violently and he stepped away. “Oh yes? How exactly did you do that?”

He smiled. “By loving you.”

Heat flooded me. Moisture soaked my knickers. Part of me gave up on the table fantasy and seriously considered the crumb strewn floor. Fighting it, I said, “Contrary to general masculine belief, sex is not the cure for all women’s ills.”

“Love,” he corrected me and when I stared at him, he explained. “I said ‘loving you’, not ‘having sex with you’. Or ‘fucking you’, as you so bluntly call it.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to remind him that he had used the word plenty himself at our last encounter, but since I really couldn’t afford to go there, I swallowed it back down.

“And you do love me,” he added softly. “In your heart you do. You don’t want anyone else now, even that good-looking boy in there who’s so hot for you.”

“That’s just sex,” I said tightly. “I’ll get over it. So will Zack.”

“No you won’t.”

Warily, I watched his hand come up again, but it only touched my hair, which was a little longer and less spiky now, running it between his slender fingers.

“Give me one night,” he whispered.

“What?” I had to stop saying that every time he surprised me. He surprised me lots, after all.

“Give me a night to convince you.”

“That I love you?” I yelled. “How conceited is that?”

He smiled. His hand left my hair, reaching behind me to stir the stew. “To show you the fun we could have.”

“If I leave my life behind and live with you in a dark cellar?” Secretly, you see, I had thought about it.

He shook his head, still watching the stew. “No. If you share your life with me.”

For some reason, my breath caught. Deliberately now, he lifted his eyes to mine. My voice shook. “How do you imagine I could do that?”

“Just live your life as you want to. There are times when we will have to be apart and times when we can be together. It’s not so unusual. And I can even help you in your work, as I already have. I can get rid of the most troublesome vampires too.”

I blinked. “Kill your own kind?” I said with awe. “You would do that?”

“Oh yes.”

“For me?” I whispered, wondering wildly whether I should be flattered or appalled.

“No,” he admitted, depriving me of a reason for either. “Too many vampires impede the food supply.”

Against everything I knew and believed in, laughter bubbled up and was ruthlessly squashed. “Completely amoral!” I pronounced shakily. “Is this stuff ready yet?”

“Of course. So you will give me tonight?” he asked, lifting his hand to my cheek, cupping it briefly before trailing his smooth fingers down my jaw and throat, falling to my breast with one sweeping, brushing caress that made all my nerves leap and my nipples stand out and beg for more.

I stepped back.

“No.”

Chapter Nine

My guests “oohed” over the delicious smell of my vampire’s stew, demanding to know what it was.

“Goulash,” I said wildly, and Karoly cast me a look of reproof. “Or something! Wine, Charlie.” I reached for the nearest bottle.

But the vampire stepped over Don and Sam to reach unerringly for my forgotten bottle of good red.

“Trust you,” I said, curling my lip.

With his glass, he came back and sat beside me on the floor next to the bed, while I, kneeling, ladled out the stew and stretched across to give a bowl to each of my slightly tipsy guests. When I sat back down after the last, my bottom landed on something hard and knobbly, which I realized with shock was the vampire’s hand.

I stared at him in surprise. I think I forgot to be outraged. In any case, he only smiled, without removing his hand. Moisture pooled between my lower lips, making me wonder how the hell I was going to concentrate on eating stew, let alone conversation.

“So, Charlie,” said Ellie who had, naturally, maneuvered herself around to sit on his other side. “Are you off to a fancy dress party after this?”

Politely, Charlie shook his head. His hand explored under me, making my breath catch. I reached for my fork.

“He’s Scotch, Ellie!” Zack mocked.

“So he is, smart ass, but I’ve been to Scotland and they don’t normally run around dressed like
that
, do they, Jen?”

“Only for high days and holidays,” I agreed, squirming as the vampire’s hand finally made it under my skirt to the damp, heated cotton of my knickers. “And weddings. I’m sure he came south straight from a wedding, didn’t you, Charlie?”

Charlie smiled beatifically while I lifted a forkful of stew to my mouth. He waited until my lips closed around it before he slid his hand inside my knickers to caress the curve of my ass. I nearly choked. As it was, my involuntary gasp must have shown anyone looking a fine view of my stew-filled mouth. Closing it hastily, I coughed to cover my lapse.

Jesus, I really had to find some unobtrusive way to get away from his questing, teasing hand and yet…I couldn’t quite bring myself to. It was almost as if this way I had no guilt in enjoying the caress of his wicked fingers.

I swallowed my half chewed food. My face felt as flushed as if I’d just drunk an entire bottle on my own. Hastily, with a not quite steady hand, I reached for my glass and took a sizeable gulp.

My eyes fell on Ellie on his other side, animatedly talking to him while her hand touched his bare knee. Everyone else was eating and chatting, periodically telling Charlie how good the food was. With our backs to the bed, it was unlikely that anyone would be able to see my so-called cousin’s hand up my skirt.

I lost track of the conversation. I barely ate. All I cared about was the crazy pleasures of my body and how the hell I could cover it up.

I didn’t know what to do, where to look, so I gazed desperately at Ellie. She was very obviously giving Charlie the eye, smiling at him from under her beautiful, long lashes. That would have been bad enough but he had the gall to be smiling back at her.

Indignantly, if somewhat belatedly, I changed position to try to escape his hand, but it followed me, suddenly gripping my upper thigh so that I couldn’t move.

Hush…
came his voice in my furious, befuddled head.
Stay still… She wants me. I want you. All my attention is with you. And Jenny, shield your thoughts. Zack is sensing your excitement
.

Blindly, I took another drink, using the moment to shield as Hilda had taught me.

In the meantime, Ellie, cow that she was, flirted too blatantly for the others to remain entirely unaware of her antics for very long.

“Ellie, put the poor man down,” Sam commanded. “He’s not used to your pushy, lecherous ways.”

Reluctantly, Ellie took her hand off his knee. She said to him, “I have a flat five minutes’ drive from here.”

Somehow I managed to say, “You don’t want him in your home, Ellie, believe me. He’s an animal.”

The vampire pinched my bum cheek and I laid down my glass before I broke it.

“Oh keep talking, Jenny!” sighed Ellie.

I laughed shakily. The vampire’s hand continued to stroke under my skirt.

Inside my head, his voice said,
One night, Jenny. Give me tonight.

Bastard…

You see how it is for you. For me. I could make you come just with my mind, but I can’t keep my hands off you and even here, in company, you love it. Imagine how it could be when they’re gone.

I was having trouble thinking of anything else. Unless it was how I could come right now and hide it from everyone, including him. Impossible…

Tonight, yes or no?

Complete and utter bastard.

Yes or no?

Yes…!

As if from a great distance, I heard Zack saying anxiously, “Is Jenny all right?”

“She’s knackered, aren’t you, Jen?” said Jess. “Poor thing, you’ve had a hell of a day. Come on, guys, we’d better shove off.”

The vampire slid his fingers out from under my skirt.

I said shakily, “Sorry everyone. I seem to be falling asleep here.”

“Great day for you, Jen. Well done,” Jess said generously. “Oh and great dinner!”

“Great cousin, Jen,” grinned Ellie. “Can I borrow him?”

The vampire shook his head, softening his rejection by rising fluidly to his feet to take her hand in his clean one and gallantly kiss it. Jealousy warred with a surprised pride in him.

Ellie sighed. “There’s something about you.”

If only she knew what! Over her head, Karoly cast me a quick, eyebrow twitching glance. I wanted to laugh. My aroused, frustrated body screamed silently for his attentions and his blazing, gold-flecked eyes told me he was well aware of both desires.