Love Your Entity (15 page)

“I’d prefer if we could meet at another location,” Sierra said.

“I already assured you that I would not be revealing your address in the article and that the photos would be taken inside your new home not outside.”

“I haven’t really had time to settle in and unpack—”

“I’m on a deadline. If you’re not interested, then I’ll have to move on to another story,” Bob said.

“No, don’t do that.” Sierra hoped she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt.

“Okay then. So are we on for tomorrow around four in the afternoon?”

“Yes.”

After disconnecting, Sierra turned to face everyone. “Listen, people … er, vamp … er … everyone. I have a reporter coming here tomorrow and I don’t want anyone doing anything weird.”

“Define
weird,
” Ronan said.

“She means Zoe flying on a broomstick,” Tanya said.

Zoe rightfully looked affronted.

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Sierra said hurriedly.

“She means no blood-sucking,” Zoe said.

Now Nick, Damon, Pat, and Bruce all looked affronted. Ronan merely looked amused.

“Actually, I meant to just let the guy come and interview me without any trouble,” Sierra said.

“Hear that?” Tanya said. “No trouble.”

“Is he bringing a photographer?” Ruby asked.

“I have no idea,” Sierra said, before recalling that she shouldn’t be answering a ghost’s question in front of others. “I mean, I have no idea what to wear for the interview tomorrow.”

“Basic black is always a classic,” Zoe said.

“Because you’re a witch,” Tanya said.

Zoe pointed to Nick, Damon, and Ronan, all of whom wore black. “Vampires like black too.”

“Sierra, as a redhead, you would look great in black,” Bruce agreed. “I watch
Project Runway
so I do know a little about women’s fashion.”

“Very little,” Tanya said.

“You definitely don’t want to look like her.” Bruce pointed to Tanya.

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Tanya demanded.

Bruce shook his head. “Where to begin?”

“With the spandex neon lime ultramini skirt,” Zoe suggested.

“I don’t know about you, but I definitely have better things to do than stand around and talk about fashion,” Nick said. “I’m heading back to work.”

Damon tilted his head toward Ronan. “We need to talk again. Now.”

*   *   *

Ronan sat on the closed coffin in the basement while Damon paced the cement floor. Luckily Sierra’s flashlight had gone out before she spotted it earlier.

“I’m not happy about any of this,” Damon said.

“I need to warn you that the ghosts may be able to hear you,” Ronan said.

“I took care of that,” Damon said.

“How?” Ronan asked.

“I’m a vampire Demon Hunter. I have ways of establishing secure sites.”

“That’s all you’re going to say?”

“Damn right.” Damon was pissed and making no attempt to hide that fact. “You’re the one who needs to do the talking.”

“About what?” There was so much to be pissed off about that Ronan couldn’t decide which took top place.

“About the fact that you told Sierra you’re a vampire.”

“I didn’t tell her. Not at first. I had to save her. Hal had just yanked a huge bookcase onto her. Or that was his intention. She would have been killed. You told me not to kill humans.”

“Yeah, well, I’m having second thoughts about that,” Damon said.

Ronan clenched his fists. He didn’t want to have to fight with his fellow vampires to protect Sierra, but he would do so in a heartbeat.

Damon rolled his eyes. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt Sierra. That doesn’t mean the ghost won’t, though.”

“I’ll protect her.” Ronan was surprised at how intense the need to save her from harm had become. Was this a result of his vampire bond with her? He wasn’t sure. He only knew that he would do anything to ensure that bastard ghost Hal didn’t hurt her.

You haven’t done a very good job of being her protector so far, an inner voice mocked. Ronan was very familiar with that voice. He’d heard it in his head often enough while indentured to Voz. At the slightest hint of a conscience, that inner voice came out to verbally thrash him. Vampires weren’t meant to have a conscience.

He had plenty of inner demons. He refused to give them all a voice. But some remained stronger than others.

“My first priority is the security of Vamptown,” Damon said.

“Understood.”

“What is your first priority?”

“To stop others from treating me like a subservient in my own home.” Ronan’s voice reflected his anger.

Damon eyed him for a moment before nodding. “Understood. I just want to point out that we don’t like outsiders invading our turf. And by
outsiders
I am referring to humans in this case.”

Ronan said, “Sierra isn’t here because of me.”

“No, but a reporter is coming here because of her. You have a vampire bond with her. Can’t you talk her out of it?”

“She still can’t be compelled,” Ronan said. “She just is willing to stay with me.”

“Willing? Or required to stay?” Damon asked.

Ronan remained silent.

“So if you leave the house when she’s supposed to have her interview, she would have to follow you?” Damon continued.

“And the reporter would follow her.”

“That’s okay. Go to Daniella’s cupcake shop.”

“Do you really want more publicity for her cupcakes? I heard that she’s already pretty well-known for them.”

“Good point,” Damon allowed. “Get off the coffin. I’m returning it to the funeral home.”

Ronan hopped down. “I’m sure the reporter won’t be staying long. He’ll do his interview and leave. I’ll be here to make sure that happens. I’ll compel him to leave if things get out of hand.”

“Things always seem to get out of hand around here,” Damon said.

Ronan had the feeling that things were going to get much worse before they got better …
if
they got better.

Chapter Thirteen

Sierra didn’t get much sleep that night. She told herself it was because she was nervous about her big interview the next day, but that wasn’t the only reason. How could she not be nervous when ghosts, vampires, and witches surrounded her? Come on. Really?

It was amazing that she wasn’t a babbling, sobbing mess.

What was also amazing was that she’d written twelve pages before going to bed. That was two days’ worth of work.

Maybe being bonded to Ronan made her supercreative? Superproductive? Definitely superhorny.

She’d have to ask Ronan. Not about the horny stuff but the creative, productive stuff. He’d been her last thought falling asleep and now he was practically her first thought waking up.

Which wouldn’t be such a problem if he weren’t a vampire. A vampire she wanted to have sex with. No, not just
wanted
. When he kissed her, she immediately felt like she
had
to have sex with him. The way she had to have air to breathe.

Sierra was getting hot just thinking about it, thinking about
him.
Every hour, every minute increased her feelings for him as she replayed every touch, every kiss, every embrace he’d given her. She grew moist between her legs as she remembered the feel of his arousal rubbing against her there.

She ran her hand down her body and pressed against her mound, all the while imagining it was his hand on her. She was stunned by how quickly she came, the spasms rolling within her. That had never happened to her before, not that way, not that fast, not that intensely. Wow.

Jumping into the shower and washing her hair helped calm her down somewhat. She had most of the day before the reporter showed up. Which meant she could focus on her writing not on orgasms.

She was considering various nonorgasmic scenarios for the next chapter as she padded on bare feet into the kitchen and her beloved Keurig. Her editor Lily had e-mailed her yesterday, asking if she was going to make her deadline because the book was already scheduled. The fourth book in her S. J. Brennan series was coming out in three months’ time and the cover flats were supposed to be arriving in an e-mail today.

Cover art and blurbs were important marketing elements. As a reader herself, she knew that she’d picked up a book because of the cover. Then she’d read the back cover copy and then the opening page. If she liked what she read, she bought the book.

But e-books had turned things upside down in some ways. Yet even with the high-tech changes, reader word of mouth was still an incredibly important element in helping sales. Given that fact, Sierra was considering adding a street team of readers to spread their enthusiasm over her books among their friends.

She remained totally engrossed in her thoughts about the business of publishing as she brewed her coffee. The first three books in her series had done well, each one slightly increasing in sales. She needed to continue that trend, which wasn’t easy to do given the fact that she was competing with free downloadable books on the Internet.

So she worked hard to keep up her presence in social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as well as doing blog tours and online chats when a book was released. Sierra had a cult following of very enthusiastic fans but that hadn’t yet translated into major financial success. Her editor remained hopeful that things would continue to improve and her readership would grow. Sierra had one more book coming out this year and then the manuscript she was currently writing before her contract ran out and was up for renewal.

She needed to be sure to e-mail her publicist Katie after the interview today and let her know how it went. She should also check with her to see if any new reviews had come in. Sierra had met Katie last summer during a trip to New York. She’d immediately bonded with her. Katie was brimming with energetic enthusiasm and was a consummate professional. She also had a thing for cupcakes. Sierra made a mental note to send her some of Daniella’s cupcakes.

She was just about to take her first sip of coffee when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she dropped the mug, which shattered on the floor. As it did so, she realized that Ronan was the one touching her. If she hadn’t been so distracted, she would have recognized that fact immediately because her body had such a powerful reaction to him. But the way he was able to show up out of nowhere was disconcerting.

She was accustomed to ghosts suddenly appearing, so she should be able to deal with a hot, sexy vampire doing the same thing. But Ronan was special in so many ways.

He looked so hot in his jeans and black T-shirt, standing so close, smelling so good. She was a writer. She should be able to come up with more creative ways to describe the way he made her feel. But she couldn’t.

None of the previous men in her life had ever ignited this passion in her. But Ronan wasn’t a man. He was a vampire. She was still grappling with it all.

“Watch out,” Ronan said as he tightened his hold on her while she gazed down at the mess on the kitchen floor.

She tried to ignore her intense connection and the physical need to be with him. Instead she focused on the mundane. Two mugs down, only two to go. Clearly she should get Styrofoam cups or something from now on.

Luckily she hadn’t burned herself from the spilled hot coffee. That may have been her last French Roast flavor though. She’d have to go out and buy more.

“Careful,” Ronan said before sliding his arms around her and picking her up.

Now her thoughts were a thousand percent focused on him. “What are you doing?”

“Preventing you from cutting yourself on the broken china.”

She’d never had a man carry her before, let alone a vampire. Putting her arm around his neck, she held on tight as he cradled her against his body. Her face was close to his, which meant her neck was close to his mouth. She hoped he wasn’t tempted to take a bite. She was tempted to kiss him but she didn’t.

“Where are we going?” she asked breathlessly. She wasn’t breathless on purpose. She wasn’t trying to sound like Marilyn Monroe. The words just came out that way.

“Where would you like to go?” he said.

To bed with you
were the first words that came to mind, but luckily she didn’t say them aloud. She hoped he wasn’t reading her thoughts. Could she post “Vampires Out” on her mind? She definitely wanted “Vampires In” regarding the rest of her body. The more she tried to stop thinking about him in bed with her, the more she did it, imagined it, fantasized …

“I’m waiting,” he said.

“My shoes are in my bedroom.” So was her bed.

As he walked toward her room, she responded to the way his arms felt around her. Heat surged throughout her body. The side of her breast was pressed against his chest. She was wearing a
NYT BESTSELLER WANNABE
T-shirt and had forgotten to put on a bra underneath it. Or maybe she’d deliberately omitted putting on that lingerie item. She was glad she had. She didn’t want any additional layers of clothing between them.

The truth was that she wanted to rip his T-shirt off and lick her way across his chest. She didn’t normally have a photographic memory but the image of Ronan standing naked when she’d walked into the house that first day seemed to be clearer than ever.

Her breathing became faster and faster. At this rate, she’d be hyperventilating soon.

When he crossed the threshold into her bedroom, she noticed how thick his eyelashes were. His dark hair tumbled over his forehead, lending him a rakish air that she found irresistible. Which is why she lifted her hand to run her hand through his hair.

He tightened his hold on her.

She licked her lips. The feel of the silky strands between her fingers was incredibly arousing. Was that because of the vampire bond? Or just because he was Ronan?

He stood there with her, a few feet from the bed, his mouth mere inches from hers. She wanted to taste his lips. So she did. Or tried to. But he abruptly dumped her on the bed.

She landed on her back and bounced on her soft mattress. Her breasts bounced. He watched them with heated eyes. For a moment, she was certain he was going to join her, stripping off her clothes and his before thrusting into her. But he didn’t.