“And if it does?”
He shrugged. “We’ll see if we can come up with a Plan C.”
And if not, she thought, they were back to Plan A—turning her into a vampire. Plan B was definitely the lesser of two evils.
“All right,” Tessa agreed with a sigh. “I’ll do it. When?”
“Tomorrow night.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
When Tessa awoke in the morning, Andrei rested beside her. He had never stayed all night with her before. Always, in the past, he had been gone when she woke. For a moment, she lay there, studying him. In the movies, vampires always looked pale and dead at rest, but he looked the same as always—amazingly handsome and all too sexy. The sheet was pooled around his hips, offering a tantalizing glimpse of his broad shoulders and bare chest. Did he dream? If so, what did he dream of?
“What do you think?” His voice, as deep as ten feet down, slid over her senses like liquid heat, settling in the deepest part of her being.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was.” His lips twitched in a wicked grin. “Your lustful thoughts woke me.”
“You stayed the night.”
He gazed at her, one brow arched in inquiry. “Would you rather I had left?”
“No. Won’t you kiss me good morning?”
“My pleasure.” His hand curled around her nape, drawing her closer.
His kiss sent a shiver of delight down her spine. “I could get used to this.”
“Then we should do it again,” he murmured.
Desire unfolded inside her like a flower opening to the sun. He turned on his side, his arm drawing her closer so that her body was aligned intimately with his. She sucked in a deep breath when his hand slid under her sleep shirt to stroke her bare skin.
Andrei paused. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” she said, her voice husky, “but I think we’d better.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
She grinned when her alarm went off. “Saved by the bell,” she muttered as she rolled over to turn it off.
Andrei loosed a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry,” Tessa said, “but Jilly and I decided to go to work today. I was wondering if you’d be willing to spend the day in my office. You don’t have to if you don’t . . .”
He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her soundly. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
She sat up, her eyes widening with feminine appreciation when—clad in nothing but a pair of black briefs—he rose and padded into the bathroom. She almost hated to see the door close behind him.
Moments later, the shower came on. She had no trouble at all imagining him in the stall, his broad chest and flat belly covered in soapy water.
With a shake of her head, she pulled on her robe and went to see about breakfast.
* * *
On her way into the kitchen, Tessa noted that the front door had been repaired. Jilly, Luke, and Bailey were already there—Bailey making waffles, Jilly pouring coffee. Luke sat at the table, the morning paper spread before him. Andrei appeared a few minutes later, his hair still damp from his shower.
“There was another killing last night,” Luke remarked grimly. “Some homeless guy going through a Dumpster found the woman’s body.”
Tessa noticed that no one asked if the body had been drained of blood. Like everyone else, she assumed that, if Luke had mentioned it, it was a vampire kill.
“Luke, I want you to stay here with Bailey today,” Andrei said. “I’m going to work with Tessa and Jileen. The fledglings won’t be out and about until nightfall, but Katerina . . . You never can tell. I don’t think she’d be stupid enough to try anything in a crowded workplace in broad daylight. But I wouldn’t bet on it. And that’s why I’ll be there.”
* * *
Tessa glanced at the fall decorations that adorned the lobby of Milo and Max. Pumpkins and sheaves of Indian corn made a colorful display on one of the tables. Life-size mannequins in Pilgrim garb flanked the entrance.
“Thanksgiving is Thursday, isn’t it?” Tessa remarked as she followed Jilly through the revolving door.
“I think I mentioned that last week,” Jilly reminded her as they headed toward the elevators.
“I know. It’s just hard to think about celebrating the holidays when people are being found in Dumpsters, drained of blood.”
“I know. You’re right. I’ve just always loved Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe we could plan a small celebration for the four of us.”
Tessa glanced over her shoulder at Andrei.
“The five of us,” Jilly amended.