“Check you?”
Her gaze held his. “For bite marks.”
Chapter 5
Oh, but he’d sure like to take a bite. Simon swallowed and let his gaze slide over Dee’s pale flesh. The woman knew how to strip, fast. A simple black bra and matching panties covered her. Well, covered what he most wanted to see, and she stood there, shoulders back, small breasts out, and told him…
“I’m going to need a full body check.”
Yes. He cleared his throat. “I’ll do my best.”
“This is serious, Simon. It’s not like a damn mosquito. If I’ve even got one bite, I’ll—”
“What?” Real curious now. “If they bit you, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it now.”
“I know.” Soft. Her hands lifted, hovered between them. “I just—” Her eyes widened as she stared at her fingers. “Her blood’s still on me. On my hands.”
Her fingernails were tinted red. Steaks of blood had dried on the back of her hand.
“Sink.” Snapped out.
He pointed to the bathroom and watched her dash away as he enjoyed the tight ripple of her ass. He followed slowly, the better to enjoy the view. Nice.
Dee wrenched on the water and, with his temperamental faucet, it flew everywhere. But she didn’t so much as flinch beneath the lash of what he knew to be icy cold water. Simon stalked closer and watched as she grabbed his soap and began to all but scrub the flesh off her fingers.
After about five minutes, he told her, “I think you’ve got it.”
She stiffened. Dropped the soap. The rush of the water seemed too loud to him. Always did, though.
“Check me.” She growled the words. “I’ve got to know.”
He eased up behind her, and he saw her elbow move as she turned off the water. But Dee didn’t turn to face him.
The lights blazed in the small bathroom, giving him a perfect view of her body. Small, fragile…sexy. Even though she was small, the woman really had a fine ass. Maybe it was those panties. They hugged her curves so very, very well.
“Simon.”
His fingertips skimmed her shoulders. “Hold still.”
He caught the sharp inhalation of her breath. His gaze lifted from that sweet ass and scanned the rest of her body. Okay, his cock was so hard that it was about to bust through his jeans, but he’d hold onto control and manage to focus for a while. He had to, for her.
This—his fingers trailed over her small shoulder blades—was important. To her and to him.
Because if she’d been bitten, then she’d been compromised. She’d be a risk to herself, to her friends.
To him.
Not that a bite would change his plans. No way would he abandon her now. Not when he’d really just found her.
“The bra’s got to come off.” Guttural. Too bad. Not like he could manage much more than that. Simon figured he was lucky to be able to speak right then. His fingers slipped under the straps, then trailed down to the hook. If the vamps had fed on her, they would have tried to hide the mark.
They wouldn’t want her aware.
The better to keep track, to torment.
He unhooked the snap. Pushed the bra off her shoulders and let it fall.
Simon had one damn good idea why the vamps had let Dee keep breathing and why they’d tried to set her up.
Word on the street was that certain vamps had plans for Sandra Dee. Plans of pain and madness.
Death would have been too easy.
His mouth hovered over her, right above her shoulder. The skin looked so tender. He could—
“What do you see?”
Simon jerked back. “Let me check your front.”
A huff, but she spun around.
His eyes widened when he saw her tight nipples. Still wet from the spray of water. Pointed, arching right up to him.
Fuck. The woman had a concussion for shit’s sake. He couldn’t devour her now, no matter how hungry he might feel.
He wasn’t that much of a bastard.
Was he?
Her hands clamped on him. “Check.” Breathy there. Hungry—just like me.
Because she felt it, too. The lancing heat of lust. Always there. When she was close, he burned.
He slapped his hands against the sink, caging her. He let his eyes touch her flesh, the way his hands and mouth wanted to do so badly. “Lift your arms.”
Of course, the move just made those breasts arch more.
Dammit. Con-cus-sion.
His gaze raked across her flat stomach. Down to the black bikini panties.
“Trust me, Simon, I’d know if I’d been bitten there.”
His lips curved. Couldn’t help that. “Fair enough.” He sure didn’t need that sensual temptation then, anyway.
He wrapped his hands around her waist and he lifted her. He put her down on the counter—probably with a bit too much force—and reached for her legs.