Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter 2)

"No, Talon," she said firmly, turning off her light. "The answer is still no."

"I didn't ask you anything."

"I know that note in your voice when you said my name and I know what you want, and you know what I want. Guess which one of us is going to have to give in?" She paused, then added, "And for the record, it's not me."

He cursed under his breath. She was so damn stubborn in this lifetime. What had happened to his mild-mannered Nynia who gave him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it?

Fine, then, let her lie in there all unmolested and naked.

His body leapt at the word.

Groaning, he rolled over and faced the back of the couch so that he couldn't see her anymore.

He was a grown man, he could handle this. He could control himself.

Oh, bloody hell! No woman had turned him down before. This was excruciating and infuriating.

He plowed his fist into the pillow as he hardened even more. He was much too large for the couch and it was damned uncomfortable, but he would sleep here or die.

Sunshine listened to Talon moving around on the sofa. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

But she was tired of his secrets. Tired of his cryptic games. She'd done enough snooping around his house to learn that he probably wasn't a drug dealer, especially since he didn't even have a bottle of Tylenol, but he'd had all kinds of interesting electronic gadgets. Lots of leather, imported beer, and enough DVDs to sink a battleship. Not to mention the weird weapons she'd found. Some of them quite ancient in design.

There was something very odd about his life and until she knew what it was she wasn't going to let herself get any closer to him. She owed it to herself to know more about him before she let her goo-goo eyes lead her astray again.

She rolled over and forced herself to go to sleep. She needed to work tomorrow. Unlike him, she didn't have an endless supply of income.

"Well, look who's back."

Sunshine put down the book she was reading and smiled at Selena as Selena wheeled her small cart over to her. Dressed in a loose purple dress and black cape, Selena parked her cart to the right of Sunshine's stand of pottery and sketches, and started setting up her card table and psychic stuff.

"I know," Sunshine said wistfully as she bookmarked the page of her romance novel Born in Sin and set it aside. "I've been preoccupied the last few days. Sorry."

Selena spread a purple cloth over her card table. "So do I get to learn anything about this guy? Want me to do a reading for you?"

Sunshine sighed as she scooted off her stool to help Selena set up her signs. "I don't know much about him except he's a giant blond biker sex god who eats nothing but junk food, has a ton of money, lives in the swamp, and knows your brother-in-law, Kyrian... Oh, and he knows Grace's husband too."

Selena's face went pale. She looked up, startled. "Talon? You've been seeing Talon? More than once?"

Sunshine froze, torn between excitement and trepidation. Selena didn't look right. She looked rather sick at the news.

"You know him?" she asked incredulously.

Uncomfortable, Selena glanced around. "Oh Lord, please, please tell me he's not the sexual athlete who got hit with the Mardi Gras float. Please tell me that the guy I've been fantasizing about isn't Talon. I've had dinner with him, for goodness' sake."

"Okay, I won't tell you it's him, but... it's him. Ain't he great?"

Selena groaned. "Oh jeez. I'd heard rumors about him, but who knew they were really true? I can't believe this."

Sunshine was relieved. Finally, someone who could give her some answers, provided she pried them out of Selena. But Selena looked like she was going to be less than forthcoming.

"Lainie, you better spill what you know about him."

Selena opened her mouth, but by the set of her jaw, Sunshine knew what she was about to say.

"Don't you dare tell me you can't tell me anything," she said before Selena could. "I've heard enough of that from him."

Selena closed her mouth. "Well, he's a good guy for once. He's not your usual out-of-work biker and he does have a future. A really long future."

"And what else?"

Selena hedged.

Sunshine opened up Selena's folding chair that Selena used for her clients, then sat down beside her. "C'mon, Lainie. I really, really like this guy, and it's driving me crazy that he won't tell me anything, not even his birthday. So what do you know?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything, Sunny. I was sworn to secrecy."

"Sworn by whom?"

Selena set her tarot card box on the table. "I'm not supposed to say," she repeated.

"What is he, Mafia?"

"Oh no," she said, her voice thick with warning. "They make the Mafia look like Boy Scouts. These are guys no one crosses with impunity."

Someone worse man the Mafia?

"Who are they?"

"Look," Selena said. "Let's just say he's in Tabitha's line of work, okay?"

Sunshine frowned. "Ladies' lingerie? He hardly looks the type to sell that."

"No, goof-ball. What she does at night."

Sunshine formed a small O with her mouth as she understood. "He's a vampire slayer?"

"Yes, and a really good one too."

That explained how they had met in the alley. Sort of, except the people who had attacked her hadn't looked like vampires. They'd actually looked like yuppies.

"There's a lot more to it than that, isn't there?" Sunshine asked.

Selena nodded.