A Fire in the Blood(9)

“I suppose that’s true, although it seems we have more than our share.”

And she was the reason, Andrei thought. But there was no need to tell her that. At least not now. He crossed his forearms on the table. “Ashland’s a small town, yet you moved to Cutter’s Corner, which isn’t much bigger. I can’t help but wonder why.”

“It wasn’t the size of the town, so much, as the fact that everyone in Ashland knew who I was. They all expected me to get married right out of high school, settle down and have a family. No one really saw me. I wasn’t Tessa. I was Alice and Henry’s daughter. Here, I’m my own person. Does that make sense?”

“Indeed it does.”

When the waitress came, Tessa ordered a vodka martini, Andrei ordered a glass of pinot noir.

“It’s still hard to believe vampires exist,” Tessa remarked. “I mean, it seems like one day they were just myths and the next, they were terrorizing the town.” Now that she thought about it, it seemed as if the vampires had arrived shortly after she did.

“Terrorizing,” Andrei mused. “Yes, so it would seem.”

“Are you a hunter?”

“A hunter?” He laughed softly, genuinely amused. “Yes. And no.”

“Which is it? Yes or no?”

“Depends on the prey,” he replied with an easy smile.

When the waitress brought their order, Tessa lifted her glass. “What shall we drink to?”

“New friends?” he suggested.

“New friends,” she repeated, touching her glass to his.

Tessa glanced around the room. The music was soft and low, the lighting discreet. It was a place for lovers, or for men and women who were cheating on their spouses, which was why she and Jilly had never come here again. A place for lovers . . . Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of being Andrei’s lover. She quickly shook the idea from her mind. She’d just met the man, for heaven’s sake!

Andrei sipped his drink, then put his glass aside. “Would you care to dance?”

Tessa hesitated. Being in Andrei’s arms seemed dangerous somehow. Dangerous and exciting. Like vampire hunting, she mused.

When he offered her his hand, she quickly finished her drink, then let him pull her to her feet and escort her onto the dance floor. A tingle of awareness swept through her when he drew her into his arms.

The music was low, sensual. He held her close, his hand warm and firm at her waist.

“I knew we would dance well together,” he murmured.

“Did you?”

He nodded, his gaze drifting to her lips. Her yearning for him filled the air, hot and musky.

Tessa loosed a deep, shuddering sigh as he slowly lowered his head and claimed her lips with his. As had happened before, the rest of the world seemed to fall away when he was this close. Desire spiked through her, stealing the breath from her lungs, the strength from her legs.

His arm tightened around her waist, drawing her body intimately against his as they danced. She had the oddest sensation that they were gliding above the floor, that they were encased in a silken cocoon that hid them from the rest of the world. For this moment, there was only Andrei, his voice whispering in her ear, his eyes darkly mysterious and compelling....

He kissed her again and in the space of a heartbeat, reality returned.

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What just happened?”

“I kissed you. Do you mind?”

“That’s not what I meant . . . I . . . you . . .” She glanced around the room. No one in the club seemed aware of anything out of the ordinary. Several couples swayed nearby, their attention riveted on each other. The room was filled with the low hum of conversation, sprinkles of laughter, the clink of glassware. She shook her head. “Nothing. I think I must have . . . I don’t know . . .”

“How do you feel now?”

“Fine.” She smiled. “I guess I shouldn’t have finished my drink so quickly. It seems to have gone right to my head.”

“That’s probably it,” he agreed, leading her back to their table.

“I should go before it gets any later.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, no! How did it get so late? It’s dark out.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll walk you to your car and follow you home.”

“Thank you. I know you probably think I’m a terrible coward . . .”

“Not at all. Would you like another drink before we go?”

“I guess so,” she said, smiling, “since I have a bodyguard to see me safely home.”

One drink turned into two, followed by another dance. She was feeling a little tipsy when Andrei suggested it was time to leave.