The Accidental Vampire(48)

back to his chest.

"Just hang on," he murmured by her ear. "The ride will be over soon."

Elvi swallowed the reprimand she'd wanted to give Alessandro and held on. She

inhaled a shaky breath and closed her eyes, then opened them and inhaled again, eyes

widening slightly at Victor's tantalizing scent. She didn't know what it was, but it was

spicy and really delightful and she found herself pressing closer and inhaling again. It

was Harper's raised eyebrows right behind her that made her realize what she was

doing and that it had been witnessed.

Flushing, Elvi forced herself to sit up a little, only to be thrown against Victor's chest,

then slide down his lap to land tangled in his legs as Alessandro suddenly swerved off

the road and slammed on the breaks.

"We are here, no?" the Italian asked, peering down at her cheerfully.

Elvi stared up at him with disbelief, then grasped the dashboard with one hand and

Victor's knee with the other and managed to drag herself back up to peer around,

relieved to see the big yellow furniture store sign.

"Yes," she breathed, grateful the ride from hell was over.

Victor opened the door, grasped her by the waist, and lifted her out, handing her to

Harper who had hopped out of the back and was waiting to help.

The second vampire set her on her feet beside the car and then held her long enough

to be sure she had her feet beneath her before letting go and stepping away as Victor

unfolded himself from the car to join them. Elvi muttered a " thank you" to both men,

then turned and scurried for the store, doing her best to forget that she had to get

back into that vehicle later.

Thanks to Alessandro's speeding, they slid through the doors just as the manager

approached, no doubt intending to close shop. Elvi offered him an apologetic glance.

"We'll be quick," she promised, making a beeline for the beds. The men followed in her

wake.

"Is there something I can help you with?" the manager asked, hustling to catch up to

her.

Elvi was about to answer when she felt a hand on her arm and glanced to Victor with

surprise at the proprietary move.

"We need a bed," he announced.

"Yes, of course," the manager said. She supposed that was obvious, since they had

hurried through the whole store to the beds at the back. "We have some lovely beds.

What size are you interested in?"

"King," Elvi answered promptly. She could hardly wait to sprawl on one of those huge

surfaces again, unrestrained by side panels or a lid, surrounded only by a big soft

comforter and luxurious pillows… God, her toes tingled at the very idea.

"This is a popular model," the manager said, pointing at the first of the beds.

Elvi stared, taking in the sheer size. To her it was like an ocean of bed after five years in

her cramped coffin.

"Try it," Alessandro suggested. "You must to try before you buy."

"He's right," the manager offered when Elvi hesitated.

Nodding, she handed her purse to Victor, paused to take a breath, and threw herself

on the bed. If the men hadn't been standing their watching, she would have rolled and

flopped about in her excitement. She could throw out her coffin. She could sleep in an

ocean of sheets… ohhhhh. Silk, she thought, imagining sliding around in a silk sea… or

satin.

Blinking her eyes open, she found herself staring at five men all watching her

expectantly.

"It's all right," Elvi murmured, forcing herself to get up and straighten her clothes. "I'll

take it."

"Don't you think you should try the others as well?" Victor suggested mildly, killing the

glee on the manager's face before it had fully formed.

"Yes, definitely you must try them all," Harper said.

"Yes," the manager said on a regretful sigh. "It's better to try at least a couple before

picking one."

Elvi turned to peer over the number of beds, her eyes wide.

"We will help," Victor assured her.

"How is that bed?" Harper asked several moments later. "This one seems

comfortable."

Elvi sat up on the bed she was presently trying out and which seemed ridiculously hard

to her, and glanced over to where Harper sat, bouncing lightly on another model.

"Perhaps I can save you some trouble," the manager said, wincing as Alessandro dove

onto yet another bed.

"Do you and your wife prefer a hard or soft bed, sir?"

Elvi glanced over with surprise when he addressed Victor with the question. She had

no idea why he would assume they were a couple. Unless it was because she and

Victor seemed to keep gravitating toward the same beds, each laying down on

opposite sides, Elvi taking the right and Victor the left.