Netherworld: Drop Dead Sexy(68)
I studied him. He stared at me with those dark, almost black eyes. He looked so tormented. Ashamed. To see Tristan’s cool confidence stripped away like that startled me. I had the feeling he didn’t let many people see this unsure side.
I fought off the urge to throw my arms around him in a comforting hug. “I guess being a vamp isn’t so great sometimes?”
Tristan considered my question. I appreciated that he gave my words such weight. To so many men, I’m just a Barbie doll, all form and no substance. I’m not slighting them; I put myself in that position. But I sure enjoy it when I’m taken seriously.
When Tristan answered, most of his calm self-assurance had clicked back in place. “Being a vampire has its good points. I’m not going to lie in order to sound nobler than I am, Brandilynn.”
“Honesty makes for nobility,” I offered. I leaned against the desk behind me, strangely excited to get a more accurate picture of Tristan Keith.
He folded his arms over his chest. “I like the power that comes from being a vampire. I like sitting on top of the heap. I worked for powerful men when I was alive, but I didn’t have the money or social standing to claim that world for myself.”
“You like the challenges being a vampire has opened up for you.”
Tristan nodded. “I won’t pretend I don’t enjoy taking the risks and maneuvering around the obstacles. It’s a game I love to play.”
Men. Whether it’s over women or status, they just have to beat their chests. My smile for Tristan was pure affection. “Hey, I worked for those kinds of men in my own way. Ambition doesn’t put me off.”
He grinned back, the relief evident. “Good because I enjoy your company.” He glanced over his shoulder at the closed door behind him. “You care about Dan. I can tell.”
A pang of guilt went through me. But I’d been up front with Dan. He knew what the score was. Still, I felt the urge to remain true to him in words at least. “Dan’s wonderful. He means a lot to me.”
Tristan’s eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s. The eyes of a man who takes whatever he fancies. “What about me? I’m someone who easily gives up what I want. I’ve never desired a woman as much as I desire you, Brandilynn.”
Even making myself imagine Tristan swinging from a vine with a wild Tarzan yell couldn’t keep me from shivering at his dark, possessive stare. I tried to remember him as he’d been when feeding on his little blood bank the night before. Nope, that didn’t cool my jets either.
I was so screwed.
I made a very unhappy sound. “When you’re not sporting those sharp incisors, I enjoy your company too. Dan’s not thrilled about sharing me, but he’s willing for now. What are your thoughts on the matter?”
Tristan closed the distance between us. His fingers trailed through my hair. The selfish expression had disappeared to be replaced by simple, warm need. With real regret he said, “As much as I’d like you to be monogamous with me, I can’t ask you to make me your one and only when my hungers lead me to seek other women. Blood and sex go
together. No vampire is exempt from that one-two punch. But know this, Brandilynn, if I could be with just one lady, you’d be the woman for me.”
Jeez, he’d stopped just shy of proclaiming his eternal love. What did I do to make these men act like this? I was Brandilynn Payson, a BDSM-loving, no-commitment making, high-end prostitute. It made no sense Tristan and Dan would want a woman like me, not for keeps.
I tried to play it off like my brain wasn’t twisting itself inside out over the situation. “It’s just as well I’m polyamorous. At the risk of sounding racist, I don’t go for bloodsuckers. You really freaked me out last night.”
“I know I did.” Tristan’s smile was a bitter thing, one that didn’t sit well on his handsome face. “We have the daylight hours though. Look, Brandilynn, no fangs.” He opened his mouth to show me.
I laughed. When he kissed me, I snuggled in tight. So sue me for wanting to bang a vamp. He’d been honest. He’d been open. He’d treated me like I was a real person with real feelings. You don’t toss aside a man like that, no matter how long his teeth grew after the sun set.
Tristan’s kiss deepened, and I did my whole gooey-puddle shtick. He plundered my mouth thoroughly, sending my senses reeling. His hand drifted down to cover my breast, and blink! – my sundress was only a memory.
Tristan pulled his lips from mine and frowned down on me. “Did I tell you to remove your dress, Brandilynn?”
Uh oh. I’d let my eagerness overstep my role in this relationship, and Tristan was going gonzo Dom on me. I froze and dropped my eyes from his dark gaze. “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t have your permission.”