Surrendering(14)

It was a myth that vampires couldn’t go out in the daylight. Younger vampires had to temper their exposure to sunlight as it made them weak, but once a vampire came into their full powers at age one hundred, they could withstand the sun just as well as any human could.

“Dev, slow down and think for a minute,” pleaded Ren. “Nothing will happen to her.”

“You’re fucking right nothing will happen to her, because we’re gonna be like white on rice. Now get your ass moving or I’m going without you. We’re wasting time.”

Ren tightly nodded. “Yes, my lord.”

“Don’t call me that, asshole.”

“You touch one hair on her goddamn head and I will kill you, leech,” gritted the detective.

Dev laughed. “Good one, human.”





Chapter 8





Kate





Kate could hardly concentrate on anything as she prepared—or tried to prepare—for her class, which started in fifteen minutes. What the hell had happened this morning at the police station? So many thoughts and questions swirled in her head.

Giddiness bubbled up inside…her dream lover was real. And he had a name. Devon. Dev. How was this possible? It’s like she just conjured him up and suddenly he stood in front of her in the flesh. She thought back to a movie she’d seen about two teenage boys who cut out parts from a magazine to make their dream woman. Weird Science. That’s exactly what this felt like. Weird.

Nothing about her dreams should surprise her, yet it continually did. She’d found lost pets. She’d been witness to those that were ill taking their last breaths. She’d seen more adultery that she could recount. But she never dreamt about herself, it was always others. Except for this one thing. This one man.

Why?

She blushed furiously, remembering what his corded, sinewy muscles felt like under her hands. How his skin tasted, masculine and salty, under her tongue as she ran it across his neck. His jaw. His lips. She touched her fingers lightly to her tingling lips as though she could feel his on hers.

Would the real version match the dream one? No doubt. Did she want to find out? Hell yes. Should she? God no. She already knew it would be far too easy to fall madly in love with him and she simply could not do that. He had unmistakable heat in his eyes, yes, but no one who looked like him would be satisfied with someone who looked like her for long. And then she’d be right back where she was a year ago when she’d caught John cheating.

Lonely.

Depressed.

Heartbroken.

She almost felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, floating twelve feet in the air, watching herself. This could not possibly be real. She didn’t feel real at the moment. She was just going through the movements.

She knew she wasn’t in any danger. What a crock. Did Dev really believe she was, or did he just want to get closer to her? He’d looked at her like she was the most decadent of desserts and he couldn’t wait to indulge. Just thinking of him made her heart race.

And the crazy thing was, against her better judgment, she’d wanted to agree. To be locked in a safe house with Devon Fallinsworth for two whole days? For the love, what woman wouldn’t want that? Only those who batted for the other team, because he was McDreamy and McSteamy, with a dash of McDanger all rolled into one delectable package. Walking out of that police station had been one of the hardest things she’d done in a very long time and wasn’t that just stupid?

He radiated danger. Yet strangely enough, she wasn’t afraid of him. Au contraire, she felt unbelievably safe with him…odd that. She had just met him, yet she felt like she’d known him all her life and if she were in any real danger, she’d unequivocally trust him to keep her safe. He was powerful, seductive, sexy…and formidable.

She’d not been attracted to, or even thought of, another man since John. Well…that wasn’t entirely true. She’d been attracted to Dev in her little fantasy world.

But he was real and life was not a dream. And what she needed to do was banish any thought of this man, because he was not long-term boyfriend or husband material; any fool could see that. He was a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy, of that she was sure. Panties probably fell off of women any time they got within one hundred feet of him. They were wet, at minimum. Hers certainly were. She’d had to change them once already today and she’d probably be changing them again when she went home.

In some ways, she wished she’d never met him. Now that she knew he was real flesh and blood, it would be harder to concentrate on anything but him. Her obsession with him before was steeped in fantasy, like that hot guy you see at the grocery store every other week that you wonder what it would be like to bang, but you know it will never happen. But in Dev’s case…it could happen. And that was a very bad place to go. It could leave the door open even the slightest crack that something would happen between them and she knew better than travel down that road again where the only thing that lay at the end is a deep pool of bitterness and despair.