"Wow," she whispered.
"Santo cielo," he breathed.
"What is that? 'Holy … sky'?"
"Heaven."
"Oh yeah. Definitely." Her hands smoothed down his back. "Good news. I have determined that your tongue isn't forked."
"That's a relief." He moved back a tiny bit to stop torturing his groin.
She gasped and pulled her hands away from him.
Merda. Too late he realized his vision was still tinted rosy pink, He'd managed to hide it before the kiss, but now …
"Your eyes are red!" She scooted away from him.
"Bellissima, don't be concerned. It is nothing."
"Bull hockey! Red glowing eyes are definitely something. I don't know what, but you'd better tell me."
How could he explain this? "It is simply an indication that I'm … turned on."
She stiffened. "Turned on? Like an android? You're like Data?"
Jack hesitated. He wasn't sure what she meant. Unfortunately, Lara took his pause as an assent.
"I can't believe it, although it does explain a lot." She gave him a curious look. "I didn't think androids could kiss like that. You'll put real men out of business."
"Lara-"
"Do you have an on-and-off switch?" She reached behind him and raked her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. "I think Data's switch was around here."
"Lara, I'm not an android. I have a heart, remember?"
"It could be an artificial heart. Or you could be like the Bionic Man, with just a few mechanical parts. It would explain your super speed and hearing." She dragged her hand over his shoulder and down his chest. "Where's the switch?"
She wasn't listening. Poor girl, she was too desperate to make sense of the situation.
She slid her hand down to his navel. "Is this it?"
He couldn't resist. "A little lower."
She glanced lower, and the bulge in his pants was larger than before. "Oh come on." She swatted him on the arm. "That's not a switch. Though it might be a little off button."
"It's more like a lever. And if you grabbed it, I would definitely get off."
She snorted. "You've got to be a normal guy. You've been trying to get a hand job all night."
He grinned. "Bellissima, when it comes to receiving pleasure, I always say ladies first."
Her cheeks flushed. "I should have known you couldn't be an android. No one would ever program a machine to be as outrageous as you."
"You wouldn't want me to be a machine, would you?"
"No, but I still don't know what or who you are." She turned and opened the dryer door. "You might as well get dressed. It's obvious you're not going to tell me."
"Lara." He touched her shoulder. "I am sorry."
With a sigh, she removed his black T-shirt. "I don't understand why you can't tell me."
He took the warm T-shirt. "It's a matter of security. There are … others who would be in danger if I said too much."
"Others like you?"
He pulled the T-shirt over his head. "I really shouldn't say."
"There's got to be a way around this." She shut the dryer door. "What if I did the talking, and if I'm wrong you can say so, but if I'm right, you say nothing."
That might be safe for a few questions. He seriously doubted she would ever guess he was a vampire.
"Are you an alien?"
"No." He tucked his T-shirt into his jeans.
"Do you have any metal parts, like the Bionic Man?"
"No."
She placed a hand on his chest. "You're a live, human male?"
"At the moment." His heart was beating now, but it would stop at sunrise.
Her mouth quirked. "You're only male at the moment?"
"If you doubt my masculinity, love, just slide your hand a little lower."
She laughed. "You never give up."
He touched her cheek. "I'm afraid I have to, for the night. I need to go to work."
"Where do you work?"
"Wherever I'm assigned."
She grabbed his shirt and squeezed the cotton in her fists. "You're driving me crazy!"
"Cara mia." He slid his hand around the nape of her neck. "The feeling is mutual."
"Why can't you trust me?" she whispered. "You came to my rescue. You probably saved my life. We shared a really nice kiss-"
"Nice?"
"Really nice." She gave him an annoyed look. "Okay, it was super-duper über-hot The point is, I would never do any thing to hurt you. You can trust me."
His heart ached. He knew she meant the words now, but if she knew the truth, she'd consider him a monster. "Lara." He rested his forehead against hers. "I wish I could be the man you want me to be. The kind of man you deserve."
She touched his face. "What's stopping you?"
He closed his eyes. "Life … and death." She was one, and he was the other.
"I don't understand."
"I know." He pressed a kiss against her brow. It was best for him never to see her again. But the thought of never holding her in his arms again, never hearing the sound of her laughter, never gazing into the blue heaven of her eyes-it was wrenching his heart in two.
But what choice did he have? Either she could remain ignorant and remember him fondly, or she could learn too much and recall him with disgust. The former option was the best for both of them. "Good night, Lara."
Good-bye, cara mia. He strode from her apartment, wishing he were dead. Unfortunately, that wish came true with every sunrise.
Five days passed with no word from Jack. Lara tried not to think about him, but how could she forget the most intriguing man she'd ever met? Or forget the hottest kiss she'd ever received?
Five long days. He had to be avoiding her. Obviously, he didn't want to tell her about himself, but couldn't they still be friends? Deep inside she felt he could be trusted. He'd come to her rescue. He'd protected her from harm. He'd been very apologetic about his inability to explain. He had to be a good man. And he was one hell of a good kisser.
LaToya kept bugging her to call him, but Lara resisted. LaToya had run his plates, so she knew his address, but Lara refused to go see him. She was hurt and disappointed that he hadn't confided in her, so she was avoiding him, too.
She wasn't supposed to return to work yet, so she spent the days cooking, cleaning, and watching DVDs, mostly romantic comedies. None of the heroes were as sexy as Jack. She avoided watching her stash of sci-fi reruns. It would be too annoying to watch the characters teleporting.
When the phone rang Sunday afternoon, her heart lurched. Was Jack finally calling? She lunged for the receiver, then mentally slapped herself. Don't act desperate.
She lifted the receiver to her ear in slow motion and assumed a bored voice. "Hello?"
"Hey, girl."
Her shoulders slumped at the sound of LaToya's voice.
"Hey."
"I'm getting off work soon," LaToya said. "Meet me at Morningside Park in thirty minutes."
"Why?"
"Can't explain now. See ya soon." LaToya lowered her voice. "Don't forget your badge."
"What?" Lara asked, but her roommate had already hung up. What was LaToya up to? She usually came straight home when her shift ended.
Thirty minutes later, Lara waited by the park's main entrance and spotted LaToya headed her way, still in her patrol officer's uniform.
"What's up?" Lara swung her handbag over her shoulder.
"I want to show you something." LaToya led her toward the entrance to Columbia University. "I didn't want to talk about it while I was still at work. The case has been turned over to some detectives there, so I'm not supposed to be involved with it anymore."
"What case?"
"A missing college student. Vanessa Carlton. My partner and I answered the nine-one-one call, then later, we turned it over to the detectives."
"So why are we here?" Lara asked.
LaToya adjusted her sunglasses against the late afternoon glare. "I was there when the detectives questioned the girls in the dorm, and it was really weird. I kept remembering the way you described Harvey and the paramedics when they were under Jack's mind control."
Lara flinched. "You think Jack is involved with this girl's disappearance?"
"I don't know what to think. And I couldn't tell the detectives about what happened to Harvey when he doesn't remember it. We would both look crazy."
"That's true."
"So I thought you'd better see these girls," LaToya continued. "You've seen mind control before, so maybe you can tell if that's what happened to them."
Lara's heart sank. "Okay." She'd always known Jack was different. Unusual. But she'd never thought he was a criminal. He couldn't be involved with this. Please.
She followed LaToya into the dormitory. A bulletin board covered the wall close to the entrance. Brightly colored paper announced seminars and parties.
Girls stood in small clusters in the hallway, whispering to each other. When they noticed LaToya in her uniform, they hushed, and a silent aura of fear hovered over them.
"Officer?" one of the girls asked. "Any news about Vanessa?"
"Not yet, sorry," LaToya said.
The girls nodded and filed into their rooms.
"This is Vanessa's room." LaToya knocked on Room 116, then raised her voice. "NYPD."
The door cracked, and a young woman peered out. Young, about eighteen, Lara figured. Round, chubby face and innocent eyes.
"Did you find her?" Her eyes were wide with hope.