Mating Fever (5 page)

He drew in a ragged breath. I stepped away. The darkness that had been building in the room dissipated. He forced a smile to Stephania. “Thank you for tonight.”

Darkness surrounded around him until he was consumed by it. It seemed forever when I was with him, but he was gone in an instant. Then I was left alone with Stephania. I flashed her a nervous smile and then backed away.

“That was a good thing you did and a stupid one. No one gets in the middle of a vampire pissing contest. You have balls. I think you and I’ll be great friends.”

“Ahh, thanks. Umm, how long will that potion you gave me last?”

She straightened the pillows on the couch. “A month or so. You’ve got it bad already. As one of the founding members of the council, Keaton knows better than that. He knows what can happen by wrapping shadow around humans. You’re lucky that it didn’t kill you.”

“What can happen?”

“The touch of the darkness can drive a person mad. It can deform them physically. There are many things that may go wrong. Don’t worry about it. You seem to be fine. I didn’t sense any side effects. Your cab is here. I already took care of the fare and the tip. Guy’s a client of mine.”

She ushered me outside. I wanted to ask her more, but she closed the door on me. The night surrounded me, but the haze that hung over the city distorted the stars. It would be wonderful to see their familiar light. I shook my head and went into the cab. The cabbie asked my address. I rattled it off, but I barely felt the cab pull away. I was too focused on what I had learned that night.

Real monsters lived in the dark. I rubbed my neck, felt the bruise from the other night, and thought back about my attack. It made sense now. I was going to be food for another vampire and Keaton had come out of the shadows to save me. He had threatened me because he didn’t want me to reveal what he was or what I had seen. Closing my eyes, I rested my head against the window. Exhaustion from the night’s events swept over me.

The cab stopped outside my house. A chill penetrated my bones from the oncoming winter. I checked my pockets for my keys. They weren’t there.
Shit
. My purse was still sitting on the table on the other side of the door. The house was dark and I had no cell phone.

“Need to get inside?” Keaton stood at the bottom of the steps. He looked relaxed in the darkness.

“What are you doing here?”

“I had to get my car, and I wanted to ask you out for dinner tomorrow night if you’re up for it.”

I chuckled. “Maybe. Pick me up around seven.”

“I can do that. I’ll see you tomorrow night then. Oh, your door is open.”

The squeak of the door swinging open caused me to turn. When I looked back, he was gone.

Chapter Four

The day passed slowly as I tarried at work thinking about what I was going to do. Every time I thought about Keaton and what had happened between us, I blushed. It made it tough to concentrate while staring at my computer screen. Images of us together rushed through my head and burned my cheeks.

I tried looking up information on vampires, but everything I came upon was the same old myths that I had read about in books. They hated religious objects, needed permission to enter into homes, and of course they needed blood to survive. Some books said that their blood or saliva could heal wounds. When I looked at my arm, the slash from the dagger was completely gone. It confirmed some of the texts. Monsters were real. The darkness held things that I couldn’t fathom. Stephania was a powerful witch. What was next? Werewolves wearing bunny costumes?

“Hey there, you okay?” Terri stood next to my cubical.

I blinked, awakened from my stupor. “What did you say? I’m sorry.”

Terri smiled. “You’re in another world today. I asked if you still wanted to go out for drinks tonight. Remember, you had said we were going out?”

Fuck
. “Sorry, Terri. I made other plans last night. What about tomorrow night or this weekend?”

Her expression darkened and then sank. “This is the second time this month. I thought we were friends.”

I rolled my eyes. Terri didn’t understand sometimes things came up. The last time I ended up getting stranded at work and couldn’t leave because I had to do some overtime. It was a special project, and she hadn’t taken no for an answer. I ran my hand through my hair and felt the weariness of the long night I’d had. Even after I had gotten home, sleep eluded me. My dreams were filled with blood. The thought of them was exhilarating and made me slightly hungry.

“Look, I’m sorry. I met a guy. We have a date tonight. You know how long it’s been since I was out with a man. Forgive me.”

Terri perked up. “Really? What’s he like?”

I blushed and looked down at my computer screen. “Gorgeous. Tall. And mysterious.”

“How’d you meet him?”

“He saved me from a mugger the other night.” I pulled down the neck of my shirt and showed her the now fading handprint.

She drew in a breath and touched the bruise. “So he pulled you away from certain death, and now you have a date with your hero? Oh, that is so romantic. When can I meet him? When is he picking you up?”

A small giggle left my lips. “Sorry, let me get to know him first. He might have saved my life, but let me get to know him. Then I’ll bring him by the office or we can do a double date.”

“That sounds like a plan. Have fun tonight and tell me all the details.”

“Will do.”

Terri left my cubicle. Work sucked me back in, and my mind was troubled with blood and violence.
I have to know why he thinks we are mated.
It had to be some of the complications that Stephania had warned me about. I couldn’t figure it out. The more that I tried to, the more complicated it got. I didn’t want to get a headache over it.

It was bad enough my mind kept turning to him. To how he felt against me. How Keaton had kissed me. The way his hands had trailed along my body. How those teeth felt in my flesh. The computer screen blinked and I shook my head.

I left the thoughts behind and finished the rest of my work. When that was done, I caught the train home. My mind was turned toward Keaton and what was going to happen. The trains were running behind so by the time I got home, it was six forty-five. I jumped out of the shower and heard my roommate coming up the stairs. I was draping a towel around me as he walked into the bathroom. His mouth dropped. Sandi began to sputter, but no sound came out. He backpedalled and then slammed the door.

“Sorry,” he called through the door.

I chuckled, grabbed what I needed from the bathroom, and stuck them on top of my clothes. My roommate was outside waiting to get in as I exited. Sandi’s embarrassment still colored his cheeks. I walked into my room and swore when I saw the clock. It was five past seven.

“I hate being late.”

“I don’t mind waiting.”

Keaton emerged from the darkness. Seeing him took my breath away. He was dressed in fitted black pants that weren’t too tight, but showed off enough of his body I could appreciate it. His shirt was dark purple with a black tie. The darkness receded when he fully stepped away from it. I almost thought to ask him how he got in here, but I already knew the answer. He had cocooned himself in shadow and slipped in.

“What are you doing here?”

“We have a date, don’t we? Unless you don’t want to go out?”

I looked down, feeling how very naked I was underneath the towel. “No, I didn’t say that. I’m just surprised to find you in here. That’s all.”

He spread out his arms and then bowed his head. “I couldn’t wait to see you. I didn’t want you to think that I’d be late. And here I see that you aren’t ready yet. Tsk, tsk.” He wagged his finger at me.

“I had to work late and then the trains were running behind. I was trying to get ready as fast as I could. I can stand here dripping and talk to you or you can turn around and let me get dressed.”

Keaton stepped forward and traced my collarbone. Tiny shivers gripped me and raised the hairs on my body. He ran his fingers along the top of my towel, over the swells of my breasts. It left trails of fire along my flesh. “What if I don’t want you to? Isn’t this the end result of what we’re heading toward?” He walked around me and pulled my hair to the side. Those luscious lips of his settled on my throat.

I groaned and leaned back against him. My head lolled against his chest, exposing more of my throat. The pleasure of his touch shot straight down to my clit. His lips trailed over my flesh. I slipped my arm around his neck while he kissed me. Keaton’s other hand enclosed my waist and inched up my towel around my upper thigh. He stopped only after a few inches from my pussy. I ground against him, feeling his growing erection. The lust that gripped me wasn’t as bad as it had been the night before.

“Your blood was sweeter than any wine I’ve ever tasted. If I die tomorrow, the ecstasy I’ve known from your touch will bring me to Heaven.”

“You really know how to sweet talk a girl.”

“You’re not a girl. You’re a woman. My woman.”

“I’m not yours. This was supposed to be our first date, remember? I don’t normally sleep with a man on the first date.” I guided him from my throat and claimed his mouth with my own.

He kissed me hungrily while one of his hands snuck under my arm and cupped my breast through the towel. The fabric was losing its hold on my body and soon it would slip to the floor. Keaton slid his tongue along my lips and then met mine with wet, languishing caresses. He pushed his hips into my ass until I ground along his covered cock. My stomach rumbled. Emptiness started to spread in my belly. The fuzziness of hunger wound through my head.

“You’re hungry.” He nuzzled my neck.

“Yeah. I didn’t have time to eat lunch at work.”

He sighed and gave me one last kiss on the cheek. “Then we have to get you to dinner. I’ll leave you to get dressed.”

Keaton stepped away, leaving the cool air to blast against my back. I trembled from the unspent desire. Now I could think straight again. Drawing in a deep breath, I quickly dressed in a black dress I hadn’t worn in months. It still fit, which made me happy. I threw on a silver chain that hung between my breasts. Thank God I had shaved the night before. The bruise on my neck was disguised by makeup. My hair would have to dry wavy. I grabbed my purse and opened the door. Keaton gave me an innocent smile and offered me his arm.

“You look amazing. Ready to go?”

I nodded.

Keaton led me out of the house and into his sleek, silver Mercedes. We drove in silence to downtown Boston and then parked on a side street. I got out and shivered. I pulled my shawl closer to my body as my date led me down the stairs and into a hidden Italian restaurant. From the layout of the place this was an exclusive establishment. Most of the patrons were the upper crust of Boston. The others that I looked at gave me the shivers. Keaton pulled a chair out for me at our table. The waiter handed us our menus. They were entirely in Italian. Keaton ordered a glass of merlot.

“How did you get into this place?” I asked.

He met my gaze and gave me a fabulous smile. “I know a few people. Besides, you told me to woo you. So here I am wooing.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to bring me here. This place is overpriced, and I can’t read anything on the menu.”

He stared at me until I felt uncomfortable. “You deserve the best. Does it make you uncomfortable?”

I hated that he had gone to all the trouble. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the thought, but—”