Vampire Awakening (3 page)

“I—I have to go.” She struggled to regain her composure. “Only one more set, then....”

He nodded his head, shocked by his animalistic behavior. Abby shoved her blouse down and fastened her jeans. A quick brush of her fingers through her loose hair and she looked like the incredible singer again. “I'll be right back.” With that, she turned from him and strode toward the stage.

Caleb blinked. What the hell just happened here? One minute he was stealing a kiss backstage, and the next he was about to throw her against the wall and fuck her. He shook his head, trying to forget that his cock was now hard enough to drive nails into brick. “Snap the fuck out of it, Caleb.” He paced across the room, considering the last fifteen minutes. His attraction to Abby could certainly muck up the ease of his mission if he wasn't careful. Something about the damn woman and her voice set him on fire.

As the band started the next tune, he decided he needed some fresh air to clear his head and get his mind off his dick. If he stayed and listened there was not telling what he’d do. She’d stolen his control. Caleb headed out the side exit as the first strands of Abby's voice filtered across the crowd.

* * * * *

For the next several hours, Caleb watched the bar patrons leave, some likely on their way home, and others in various stages of drunkenness groping each other on their way out the doors. From his vantage point the darkness cloaked him making it easy for him to observe without interruption. The normal sounds of a sultry southern night had stilled in his presence. Nature had a way of sensing and reacting to a predator among its midst. The solitude rarely bothered him and he welcomed the infrequent quiet moments when they came along.

When some of the band and employees began to leave, Caleb perked up, keeping an eye out for Abby. He'd watched the waitresses and other band members trickle out, but after fifteen more minutes he still saw no sign of Abby.

Nor Brian.

He pushed off the tree he'd been lounging against as the door opened once again and tinkling laughter spilled out along with two figures shrouded in shadows. Immediately Caleb sensed the male as a supernatural.
Brian
. The couple remained wrapped up in each other and oblivious to him as they made their way across the parking lot.

A red haze of anger settled over Caleb’s vision at the thought of Abby hanging on the bastard vampire or his hands touching any part of her perfect skin. One wrong move on the other man’s part and Caleb wouldn’t hesitate to rip his throat out. Muscles bunched in his neck and shoulders as the urge to attack his own kind swept through him.
Mine. Mine
.

As the couple walked into the golden glow of the parking spotlight, his vampire senses told him it wasn't Abby. The slash of vibrant red hair of the girl with Brian looked like a girl he'd seen hanging around backstage earlier. Some of the tension seeped from Caleb, although his instincts still told him something was definitely off.

Where is Abby?

Without warning, a vibrating, buzzing noise emanated from the couple as they both began digging through their belongings.

Brian pulled a cell phone out of his pocket first and flipped it open. “Yeah.” Even with his sharpened hearing, Caleb couldn't pick up the other end of the conversation, but the quick change in Brian's body language put him on high alert. “Don't worry. Everything will be fine. She's all taken care of.”

Caleb's mind screamed with the implications of that last statement. What she? Was he referring to the redhead or Abby?

“I'm on my way now.” Brian clicked his phone closed and turned back to the girl. “Get in the car now.” The not-so-subtle change in Brian's appearance and manner worried Caleb. Torn between following the vampire and finding Abby, he watched the couple climb into a dusty old pickup truck parked at the far corner of the lot. For thirty seconds he debated whether to follow them. His gut told him there would be trouble tonight, but leaving Abby unprotected at this point simply wasn't an option. With a final glance over his shoulder at the vehicle speeding out of the parking lot, Caleb strode to the door.

Chapter Two

The bastard! Sometime between when she’d arrived for her shift and when she’d finished singing her first song, she’d obviously lost her mind. He'd felt her up, kissed her senseless and gotten her nearly on her knees panting for him during her break. Who knew what might have happened back there if she hadn't had another set to complete. She’d allowed him to draw her into a sensual haze in the blink of an eye and barely a protest. Abby tapped her nails on the bar in front of her while she struggled to make sense of her reaction. There was the obvious element of lust he’d inspired in her, but that sounded lame even in her own mind. Her job kept her in contact regularly with some of the hottest cowboys in the county and she’d never lost her common sense with any of them.

For several minutes after their encounter she’d allowed herself to believe something special had happened between them. Until not five minutes later, the coward had slipped out the side door without even a glance in her direction. Now Abby admitted that she’d probably made a huge mistake in allowing someone she didn’t know anything about to get that close.

Cest La Vie.

“Another tequila, Danny,” she hollered down the bar to the bartender, who was leaning into the other waitress’s nearly exposed tits.

She'd had enough. Sick of being alone, Abby had given into the need Caleb had awakened in her, letting him touch her in places she had no idea how long since they'd last been fondled. For a while there, she had tried to fight the attraction to the dark stranger but realized she was wasting her time. Why not go for it. What did she have to hold her back?

At least one question had been answered. She could feel. For months, men coming in and out of the bar had attempted to get her interest…and nothing. No sparks, no interest, nothing. She'd been afraid she'd lost more than her memory in her accident.

What a day.

“Hey, doll, I thought we already did last call.” Danny slid a shot glass with a splash of familiar golden liquid in front of her.

“This one's not for the customers.” Abby picked up the glass and, before Danny could respond, swigged the shot in one big gulp. She gagged and choked as the liquid fire flamed in her throat. She tried to speak but could only manage a weak gasp. Laughter erupted around her as Danny and the other waitresses watched her suffering.

“You ever drank tequila before, Abs? You don't look so good.” Danny couldn't stop laughing as she struggled to breathe through the burn. He reached under the bar, retrieving a bottle of beer that he opened and handed to Abby. “Here, drink this. At least it’s cold. It'll help with the burn.”

She quickly grabbed the bottle from him, turning it up on her lips and drinking down as much of the cool liquid as fast as she could.

“I—I don't know if I've ever drank tequila before,” Abbey gasped out. “I don't remember shit, remember?” Next to her, Tina burst into a fit of giggles and gathered her up in a great big bear hug.

“Abby girl, you’re a total riot. It’s great having you here at the Drummer, ya know. Who needs a past when you have the opportunity to have so much fun in the present.” Tina leaned in close. “I saw how that cowboy couldn’t keep his eyes off you tonight. If I was you I’d climb on that and hold on tight. He looked like the kind of man to give you the ride of your life.”

Shocked by the woman’s words, Abby erupted in a fit of coughing.

Tina patted Abby’s back between her shoulder blades. “I’m just saying. If I was you, I’d embrace this opportunity.” On that note, her friend slid off the stool and sashayed her way toward the employee room. Abby shook her head and took another swallow of the beer. At least no one would ever accuse Tina of holding back. No matter the situation she’d call it like it was.

She glanced around the now almost empty bar. It was quitting time, and employees were hightailing it out of there as quickly as they could. She, on the other hand, was in no hurry to get back to an empty house.

Once the pain in her throat abated, Abby began to feel the warmth of the alcohol spread through her body. She enjoyed the sensation of heating up from the inside out. She looked down at the empty glass in front of her and understood why people drank the foul-tasting stuff despite the burn. The heat soothed her frazzled nerves.

With the rest of the staff busy closing up, Abby reached behind the bar and pulled out the envelope that she had received in the mail. Why couldn't there be a return address? Why the mystery? If someone wanted her to figure out her past then she needed a hell of a lot more information than a photo.

She opened the envelope and poured the contents onto the scarred golden oak of the bar in front of her. The near identical image of herself staring back at her from the upturned picture gave her the creeps.

“She’s got your eyes.”

Startled, she dropped the envelope at the sound of
his
voice. He'd snuck up on her, and she'd not heard a sound until he spoke and his warm breath tickled the hairs on her neck far too close to her ear.

“I didn’t expect to see you back here, Caleb? Usually when a man sneaks out the door he’s gone for good.” She didn’t bother holding back on the sarcasm.

“I didn't go far, my sweet. Although I’m happy to see you missed me.” His lips touched her ear like a whisper, faint and barely there. He sat down on the stool next to hers, and for a brief moment, she had to fight the urge to crawl into his lap. She wanted to run her hands through his thick hair while she licked and bit his throat.

Whoa. Where had those thoughts come from? She shook her head, attempting to clear the fuzzy thought but not before catching a sly, smug smile peak at the corner of Mr. Cowboy's mouth.

“Well, I'm not your sweet, and you wasted your time returning.” She turned back to face the bar, staring down at the photograph for a brief second more before sweeping it up and into the envelope.

“That's the whole problem. I have no idea. No memory. No nothing.” Her stomach churned with anxiety and frustration as she fought for control of her emotions. This wasn't what she wanted to say to him. Sympathy radiated off of him in waves as he grabbed her right hand, bringing it to his lips.

“What do you mean you have no memory? You remembered me…” he murmured across her skin. The soft sensation of his breath tingled up her arm, touching off every nerve ending in her body. Arousal she couldn't deny tightened her nipples and moistened her sex. Looking at him through her lashes, she could have sworn his nostrils flared in awareness.

She pressed her legs together, hoping she could tamp down the raging need she now felt. His eyes darkened to twin sapphire pools, and she thought she saw her own lust mirrored in his gaze.

“It’s a little more complicated than that, slick. I have no memory. No recollection of any of my life. At least nothing beyond six months ago.” Appalled by the husky tone of her voice, she attempted to pull her hand from his, but he held it tightly.

“You have amnesia?” He looked at her curiously. “Were you in some kind of accident? What happened?”

Abby huffed out a breath. She’d opened the door so of course he wanted to shove it open. “Sort of. I was found passed out in my car on the side of 95 right outside Savannah. But the car didn’t appear damaged, and I didn’t have any injuries. Just no memory.”

“That is unusual.”

“You’re telling me,” she agreed. I know I should just be grateful to be alive, but living like this...not knowing…” She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Living separate from everyone else is harder than you can imagine.”

He smiled at her words. “You'd be surprised what I could imagine.” The brief look in his eyes flickered with pain before he could mask it. She wondered what the comment could mean, but the change in his expression dared her to continue.

“So here I am six months later, waitressing and singing, waiting for something or someone to come along and enlighten me.” She bit her lip until it throbbed, wishing she could just shut the hell up. Must be the alcohol.

“So for all these months no one has come forward with any information about your past?” He looked skeptical.

“No one. The authorities can’t find anything about me either. It’s like I appeared out of thin air.”

“Not likely,” he laughed. It does seem strange though. After hearing your voice on that stage tonight, I’d be surprised if someone wasn't looking for you.”

She felt the flame of a blush creep into her face at his words. She loved to sing and loved seeing the audience enjoy themselves, but open praise such as this still made her uncomfortable. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“Seriously, Abby, your voice swept me away. Made me want to get close to you.”

“Is that why you left when I started singing again?” She found it impossible to hide the irritation in her voice.

He chuckled. “I didn't leave right away, hon, just needed a little space and fresh air. Once I regained a clear head I thought it best to give you some space to process what had happened.” His hands curled tighter into her hair, pulling her head slightly back. “I was too close to fucking you right there against the wall.” His raspy voice spiraled through her, giving her goose bumps over every inch of her skin. “I think, Abby girl, that you would have gone along with it, but when your mind cleared, you might not have been too happy with me.”

His arrogance should have pissed her off, but if she thought about it, and right now she really didn't want to, she'd probably see he was right. In that moment she'd wanted him and hadn't cared how or where.

“Still—”

His fingers rose to caress her lips, halting her words. “Don't even bother. We both know the truth.” Giving her no opportunity or thought to protest, he swept her hands behind her back, holding them together with one hand while the other pulled her body up against his torso. “I can't play games with you, Abby, I don't have the control for it. Unless of course you want to put on a show right here for your remaining friends.” He tilted his head in the direction of Danny, who seemed to be hovering over them as he straightened up the bar from another wild night. “A few hours might have given you some time to think but it did nothing to dampen what I want.”