As she walked up the wooden steps to the store, she tried to run her hand through her hair only to have her fingers get stuck in the tangles. Looked like stopping would serve two purposes. She could catch her breath, figuratively, and get a hairbrush all in one fell swoop.
A tiny bell chimed as she entered the store. Rows of shelves, housing every item you never knew you desperately needed, waited before her. The cashier barely cast her a glance before turning back to the small TV perched before him.
Melissa grabbed a wire basket and stepped into the aisles. She heard the chime indicating Tarian had joined her but didn’t bother to glance back. Instead she wandered further, looking over the bags of chips and bottles of pop she couldn’t consume.
Moving to the toiletry section, she threw a hairbrush and a pack of elastic ties into her basket. An overpriced stick of deodorant followed as did two toothbrushes. Though their last room had provided them, she didn’t know if that trend would hold for the next place they stayed.
Rounding the row, she saw Tarian tossing bottles of water and power bars into his basket. The sight reminded her that while her companion could refuel with relative ease, she could not.
Problem for another time, she thought, pushing back the beginning of hunger pangs pulling at her.
She walked up to the counter and gave her basket to the cashier.
A shiver of awareness told her Tarian had come up beside her. He passed over his items and stood with his warm body brushing against her arm.
Melissa tried to wait as the cashier rang up their bill, but every pulse of his heartbeat, every brush of skin against skin, drove her to distraction.
“I’ll wait outside,” she said before striding out the door. Not like she had any money on her anyway.
Stepping into the night, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back. Humans had always feared the dark, but since her transformation it had become her haven. With her sensitive vampire vision, the dark road around her looked as brightly lit as if the sun were shining.
Should have bought a pair of sunglasses, she thought, remembering her designer collection at home with a wistful sigh.
Jogging down the steps, she glanced at the car before choosing to prowl toward the deserted alley between the convenience store and the building next to it. Stepping into the deeper shadows loosened some of the tension in her shoulders. She could do this. Their trip was about survival, and she’d always been particularly good at that game.
What had to stop was the longing that hit her every time she looked at her companion. He wasn’t to be trusted, not given what he was, but her libido jumped into high gear when he so much as brushed against her.
This reaction is ridiculous. You have more control than this.
Even as she berated herself, a secret corner of her mind whispered that mates had an undeniable attraction that couldn’t be tamed.
Not my mate, she thought. The universe wouldn’t be so cruel.
“Melissa?”
She turned at the sound of her name to see Tarian striding forward. His gaze was firmly fixed on her, and not scanning for any threats that might await him in the gloom.
Her lips twitched at the thought. Anyone foolish enough to lie in wait for Tarian deserved the broken bones he’d dole out.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She shook back her hair and nodded. “Fine. I just needed a minute.”
Tarian stopped an arm’s reach from her. His face was shadowed, but even with a bright light shining on him she wouldn’t have been able to read his expression.
“You got everything?” she asked.
He lifted the white plastic bag dangling from his fingers.
“I’ll pay you back when we reach the city.”
He shrugged. “Buying you a hairbrush is the least I can do, given the circumstances.”
He had a point.
“Okay, then we should get back on the road.”
Tarian nodded, but neither of them moved.
Instead he took a step toward her.
“What are you doing?”
“Two more hours of uncomfortable silence sounds about as fun as taking a leisurely swim through shark infested waters.”
“I’m not sure there’s much we can do about it,” she replied. “We are where we are.”
He nodded. “You’re right.” His eyes flicked up to hers. “Then again…”
The white bag dropped at their feet as he grabbed her by the waist and twirled her up against the store wall.
His lips captured hers, tasting, controlling.
Melissa pushed against his chest but he only wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She nearly moaned at the sensation of his hard body rubbing against hers. Under different circumstances nothing would have stopped her from slipping her hands beneath his dark T-shirt and tracing the contours of his chest. Preferably with her tongue.