Surrendering(18)

She couldn’t help the small smile that passed her lips. She should be irritated and in truth she was, but irrational delight overrode any other emotion she felt. But that didn’t mean she was letting him off the hook. He seemed very good—too good—at dodging her simple questions.

He gestured for her to sit, but she wasn’t about to fall in line that easily. “You haven’t answered my questions.”

He walked toward her, but gliding would have been a more accurate description. He moved with such stealth and grace, it was almost unnatural. Stopping only inches from her, his piercing gaze pinned her so firmly in place so she couldn’t move even if she’d wanted to.

“Really? Because I was certain that I had,” he said in a low, deep voice that went straight to her loins.

Unable to speak, she could only shake her head in disagreement.

Leaning down so close his breath feathered her lips, he reached up and drew the back of his fingers lightly down her cheek.

“Where you live is public information, Ms. Martin and as for what I’m doing here? I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“Oh,” she whispered, her mouth suddenly dry as the Sahara. She felt dizzy and didn’t know if it was the wine or his scent affecting her. Probably both. His evident desire for her was heady and she found herself making excuses on why it might not be so bad after all to sleep with this man.

Just when she thought he’d lean down to kiss her, he took a step back taking his body heat and unique scent away with him. Disappointment stabbed deep. She wanted his mouth on hers more than she’d ever wanted anything else. Even more than she’d wanted that little electronic Barbie car as a child, the one you could sit in and drive around your neighborhood. And she’d wanted that a hell of a lot.

“Now, why don’t you take a seat and eat before your food gets cold,” he motioned as he pulled out the chair like a gentleman.

Not knowing what to make of this bizarre encounter, she walked to the small round table and took a seat. He sat just to her right and all of a sudden she wished she hadn’t drank so much wine. While the haziness clouding her brain was absolutely in part due to him, it was also undeniably the alcohol. A woman didn’t face a man like Dev without a very clear head unless she wanted to end up underneath him in short order. And while she so did, she worried with her inhibitions lowered she’d make a mistake of epic proportions and end up hating herself in the morning.

Because nothing had changed between this morning and now, saying no was exactly what she needed to do, but she was wound so damn tight that she wasn’t at all sure she’d be able to.





Chapter 12





Dev





She was as affected by him as he was she. He could smell her arousal the second she opened the door. It was intoxicating. Unfortunately, he could also see her internal tug of war. She wanted him but she didn’t want to want him and that was messing with her head. He needed to put her at ease, while letting her know he intended to pursue her…hard. Dev had a lot of work ahead of him in a short amount of time. He loved a challenge and he won every single one of them. And he fully intended to win this one.

So let the games begin.

They sat in silence while she picked at her food. Unlike the myths, vampires didn’t live on blood alone. It was their main sustenance, yes, but they also enjoyed food just as humans did. Dev’s tastes ran a little higher-end than MSG filled Chinese food, however, and the smell of the sickly sweet chicken concoction Kate pushed around on her plate unpleasantly assailed his nose.

“Am I in danger?” she asked tentatively as she placed her fork down and looked in his eyes for the first time in several minutes.

“Yes,” he said plainly. She was in danger and he would not lie to her about that.

She looked slightly taken aback, as if it wasn’t the answer she’d expected.

“Has there been a threat or something? Did you see someone outside my house?”

“No. There has been no direct or indirect threat, but it’s only a matter of time. You’re a threat to him. Once this monster finds out about your special skills, Kate, he will come for you.”

She looked truly frightened for the first time and while he felt bad about that, he didn’t feel bad enough to back down.

“So…are you patrolling outside my house then?”

He regarded her silently for several moments. His stubborn Moira was not going to be easily convinced to come with him. He answered her as honestly as he could without revealing too much too soon.

“I won’t let a moment pass that you’re not protected, Kate.” He’d follow her all over the goddamned city for days if he had to.