Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter 6)

Chapter 6

Valerius would never understand this woman or her strangeness. In the back of his mind was an image of Tabitha in the slinky black negligee he'd found under her pillow.

The image haunted him.

"I would love to go home with you, Tabitha," he said. "But I can't right now. I have to do my job."

She smiled, then kissed him again so passionately that it made his entire body sizzle.

Pulling back, she breathed in his ear. "And that makes me want you even more." He shivered as she delivered one long, sensuous lick to his lobe. "When the dawn comes, I'm going to make you scream in pleasure."

His groin jerked in eager anticipation.

"Promise?" The word was out before he could stop it.

She took a step back and let her hand fall from his face to his chest where she traced a path to his belt. He burned in the wake of her touch.

"Oh yeah, baby," she said teasingly. "I intend to squeeze you until you pop."

That thought alone was enough to turn his blood into lava. He couldn't suppress the fantasy of Tabitha's long legs wrapped around his hips, her body warm and wet as she welcomed him in.

He pulled her close to him so that he could kiss her even though they stood in the middle of the street. He'd never done anything so lowborn. Nor had he ever enjoyed anything more than the taste of her lips.

Her spicy-sweet scent invaded his senses and made his entire body burn for her.

This was going to be the longest night of his life.

Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly stepped away from her. "So where should we start patrolling?"

"You're not going to try and force me home?"

"Could I?"

"Not bloody likely."

"Then where should we start patrolling?"

Tabitha laughed. "Aren't you a little overdressed for stalking the undead?"

"Not really. It's rather fitting, don't you think, that I should look like I'm going to a funeral?"

She laughed at his morbid sense of humor. "I suppose. Do you always wear a suit?"

"I'm most comfortable in one. I'm not really a jeans and T-shirt sort of man."

"Yeah, I imagine you look like I do whenever I have to wear a suit. Itchy." Tabitha indicated the street with a tilt of her head. "Shall we?"

"Do we have to do Bourbon? Can't we go down Chartres or Royal?"

"Bourbon's where the crowd is."

"But the Daimons like to kill over by the Cathedral." He was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with Bourbon Street?"

"There are lots of unsavory people there."

Now that offended her. "Excuse me, I live on Bourbon. So you're calling me unsavory?"

"No. Not exactly. But you do own a sex shop."

That set off her hackles even more. "Oh! That's it. Nothing for you tonight, Count Penicula. You can go roast your own-"

"Tabitha, please. I don't like Bourbon Street."

"Fine," she said sharply as she stalked away from him. "You go that way. I'm headed this way."

Valerius clenched his teeth as she left him standing there. He truly hated to step one foot into this area. It was bright, loud, and filled with people who hated his guts.

Just go. Forget her.

He should. He really should, but he couldn't.

Before he could stop himself, he headed off after Tabitha. By the time he caught up to her, she was already on Bourbon Street.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as he came up beside her. "I would hate to sully you."

"Tabitha, please stay with me. I didn't mean to offend you."

She turned on him with a curled lip.

The instant Tabitha opened her mouth to let him have it, someone tossed a bucket of foul-smelling water from over a balcony and doused Valerius.

He went ramrod stiff while she frowned, then looked up to see Charlie, one of the doormen for the Belle Queen strip club, laughing. He set the bucket up and high-fived another man standing beside him.

"Charlie Laroux, what the hell are you doing?" Tabitha yelled up at them.

"Me?" he asked indignantly. "Since when are you hanging out with enemies? Nick done told us all about that ass-wipe and I promised Nick that if I ever caught Dick on our street again, I'd make him regret it."

Tabitha couldn't have been more stunned had Charlie slapped her. She looked at Valerius, who'd taken a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his face while that angry tic worked in his jaw.

"I swear, Charlie, if you were down here, I'd wring your neck."

"Why? You know our code, Tabby. Why you violating it?"

"Because there's nothing wrong with Val other than the fact that Nick needs to get a life. Just you wait, Charlie. I'm going to have a nice long talk with Brandy and when I finish with her, you'll be lucky if she lets you park your car in her driveway to sleep in it."

Brandy was Charlie's girlfriend, a regular customer in Tabitha's shop.

Charlie went pale while she reached to take Valerius's arm. She pulled him across the street, toward her store.

"I can't believe them!" she snarled.

"It's why I hate this street," he said in an emotionless voice. "Every time I come here, I end up walking the gauntlet through Nick's friends."

"That asshole!"

Tabitha had never been more furious in her life. She led him into her store and didn't even stop to chitchat with her employee. She took him upstairs to her bathroom and grabbed a towel and washcloth from the closet.

"Go ahead and take a bath. I'll borrow some clothes from my roomie."

He went pale. "No offense, but silver sequins and pastels are not my style."

She smiled in spite of herself. "I won't borrow from Marla, I'll borrow from Marlon."

"Marlon?"

"Her alter ego. He doesn't visit here much, but she keeps a few of his things for whenever he feels the need to come out."

"I don't think I quite understand."

"Go bathe," she said, urging him into the room.

Valerius didn't argue. The fetid stench of the water was truly unbearable. He was just grateful that Tabitha was willing to tolerate him long enough to allow him to clean up.

He'd barely stripped his clothes off and entered the shower before the door opened.

Valerius froze.

"It's just me," Tabitha said from the other side of the shower curtain. "I found a pair of black slacks and sedate black shirt for you. The pants are probably a little too big in the waist, but they should be long enough. I'm not sure about the shirt. You might end up wearing one of my tees."

"Thank you," he said.

Before he realized what she was doing, the curtain opened to show her standing outside with a hungry look on her face. "You're welcome."

Valerius didn't move as he stood facing her with the hot water sliding down his spine. Her bold, intense stare made his body harden against his will.

She didn't seem to mind at all. Indeed, a small smile spread across her face.

"Do you always spy on your guests?" he asked quietly.

"Never, but I couldn't resist getting a peek at what I intend to savor later."

"Are you always this brazen?"

"Honestly?"

He nodded.

"No, I'm not normally quite this obnoxious and you're the last man on the planet I should be considering. But I can't seem to help myself."

Valerius reached out to touch her. She really was too good to be true. "I've never known anyone like you."

She covered his hand with hers, then turned her face to kiss his palm. "Hurry and shower. We have work to do."