Vampires Are Foreve(40)
It didn’t leave the stop right away, but sat idling for a couple of moments. Thomas had just noticed this and glanced to the front of the tram when the driver opened the doors again. Realizing he must have been waiting for someone running for the tram, Thomas turned his attention back to the window, mentally reviewing the map he’d purchased in the hotel lobby. Marguerite’s cell phone had last been tracked to the heart of the oldest part of Amsterdam, De Wallen. It was also known as Walletjes (“little walls”) or Rosse Buurt…the Red Light District.
Thomas couldn’t imagine what Marguerite would be doing there. Not that it was what one would expect from the title. It wasn’t grubby or seedy. All in all it was a rather unique neighborhood with rows of buildings on either side of the canals. Bridges crossed the canal at intervals, and walkways ran along each side, lined with bars and night clubs along with sex shows and the infamous red-lit windows displaying scantily clad women inside. Most people would be surprised at how clean and attractive it all was.
Still, it just didn’t seem the sort of place Marguerite would go. He suspected she’d been passing through the area on her way somewhere else, and would be gone by the time he got there, but he had to check it out.
Thomas blinked and glanced around with alarm as someone began to squeeze through the small bit of space between his knees and the back of the seat in front of him to reach the window seat. His eyes landed on black business pants and stayed fastened there as he recognized the shapely, upside-down heart of Inez’s behind. His hands started moving of their own volition, reaching for her hips as if to catch her and draw her down onto his lap, and then Thomas regained control of himself and forced them under his arms as she finally finished squeezing past him and dropped into the window seat with a little sigh.
“Oh, my. I had to run for the tram,” she said, flashing him a breathless smile. “You must have had to wait a bit for it or I never would have caught up to you.”
Thomas simply stared at her, his brain slowly registering its horror, and then growled, “Inez. What are you doing here? You should be back in the hotel.”
Inez frowned slightly as his obvious displeasure at seeing her, and then began to shift around in her seat.
Thomas winced and jerked his arm away as she brushed against him, leaning his upper body slightly into the aisle to prevent her touching him again as she slipped a hand into her pocket. It came out a moment later, holding a piece of folded paper that she silently held out to him.
He stared at the paper for a moment, and then carefully took it, avoiding any of his flesh touching hers. There was no way to keep her scent from drifting to him, however, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled her fragrance. Teeth grinding as every muscle in his body wound itself a little tighter, he unfolded the paper.
“You forgot the coordinates your friend Herb gave you,” Inez said quietly as he glanced over his own writing. “I thought you might need it.”
Folding up the piece of paper again, he tucked it in his jeans pocket, muttering, “I didn’t need it. I remember.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize,” she said, then shrugged and smiled. “Ah, well, better to be safe than sorry.”
“Exactly,” Thomas said grimly, “which is why when we get off this tram, you are going back to the hotel.”
She stiffened at the suggestion, but then smiled and said, “Don’t be silly. I’m here to help you. I’ll come with you.”
“You came to Amsterdam to hear the explanation about my people,” he countered at once. “There’s no need to help me here. I know my way around Amsterdam.”
“Nevertheless, I’m here so may as well help out,” Inez insisted.
Thomas turned a scowl on her, but his eyes landed on her lips and refused to go further. He found himself simply staring at her mouth, noting how full and soft it looked and recalling how good it had felt beneath his when he’d kissed her in the hotel. He’d like to kiss her again. He’d like to do more than that, he’d like to cover her mouth with his, and thrust his tongue between her lips even as he caught her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap so that she straddled him. And then he wanted to rip her top open and tug her bra off and bury his face between her full round breasts while he—
The ding of a bell, made him blink and glance around to see that the tram was stopping.
“Are you all right, Thomas?” Inez asked with concern, drawing his gaze back to her. “Your face is flushed and you’ve broken out in a sweat. Is that normal with Sweet Ecstasy? Are fevers a side effect?”