Dying to Date(15)

“How about we make it a quick dinner?” he compromised. “Then back to your place.”

“Not going to fight me this time?”

“Never again,” he said. “Gentlemanly behavior be damned.”

“Excellent news.” She leaned over to press her lips to his.

It was a light touch. One meant to promise rather than enflame, but even so, Melissa didn’t want to pull back.

Tomorrow, she told herself. Once she had him in her apartment she could explore his body at her leisure.

“I should go,” he said against her mouth. “We’re running out of time.”

“I know.” She sat back with a sigh as he scooped his half-eaten sandwich back into its brown bag. “Looks like the concept of lunch got a little lost on us.”

He tossed her a grin. “I’m not complaining.”

“Me, either,” she said as they stood.

“Till tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow,” she agreed. “I can’t wait.”

He took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Neither can I.” With a last heated look, he strode from her office.

Melissa had barely managed to make her way back to her desk when Mary swept in with files for her perusal.

“Good lunch?” her assistant asked.

“The best,” she sighed.

“He’s got damn fine taste in chocolate,” Mary said. “An excellent quality in a man.”

“The list of his excellent qualities is rapidly growing. I’m half waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Mary shrugged. “Unless it’s one hell of a shoe, I doubt it’ll make much difference.”

“You are, as usual, correct.” Accepting the files she shooed Mary from the office.

When it came to Tarian, she had the suspicion she’d be willing to forgive a hell of a lot. A smile curved her lips as she attempted to focus on her work once more. Tomorrow she’d just have to try and uncover more of his secrets. After she got the man in bed, of course.

Grinning, she glanced at the clock on her wall and wished that time would move just a little bit faster.

…

Tarian sighed as the elevator doors closed behind him.

“Damn,” he whispered into the empty space.

He’d come there tonight half hoping their first date had been a fluke. After all, no necromancer could really be that interested in a vampire so quickly. Even if that vampire was as close to perfection as he’d found in hundreds of years.

Except seeing Melissa again only underscored what he’d felt the night before. He liked being around her, and not just because he’d love to spread her out across his bed. No, it was far more insidious than that. He liked her unique mix of confidence and uncertainty. The blushes that stained her cheeks even when she tried to appear unaffected. The way she lit up when she spoke about the charities she worked with.

His instinctive reaction to her may have driven him to see her at Celeste’s, but tonight he’d hunted her down because he couldn’t stand not to.

“Grandfather will have a heyday with this,” he murmured.

He’d woken this morning to find a list of reasons to fight against the vampires taped to his bathroom mirror. Eilin was far more passionate about the cause than he’d given her credit for. Then again, he well remembered what it was like to be young and blinded by hatred. Maybe he should take her and run. Leave New York behind and hide his sister from their grandfather’s bloody crusade.

Tarian closed his eyes. That would mean moving yet again. Hopping from city to city trying to stay a step ahead of his family. After running for so many years he was just…

Tired.

New York was their fresh start and he wanted to make the most of it. See what life could be like with a permanent address. Living here might be an impossible dream for a necromancer, but he’d had enough of his bloodline limiting his choices.

The elevator doors opened, and he strode out into the lobby. He could afford to give the situation another week or two. If Eilin showed any more signs of wanting to throw her lot in with their kin, then he’d whisk her away. Until then, there was no use upending their lives again when they’d just gotten settled.

Two weeks, he thought. More than enough time to see where this connection with Melissa was leading. Hell, maybe they’d both get lucky and it would amount to nothing more than a few nights of great sex and an amicable parting of ways.

He stepped out into the crisp night air and did his best to ignore the fact that he rather doubted it.

…

“But how did you know?”

Abbey’s chuckle rose from the phone’s speakers.

“I very much doubt you want me to go into intimate detail about my own mating,” Abbey said. “After all, it’s your father we’re talking about.”