In the midst of her daydream, he had called to say hello. Hearing his voice had put a smile on her face, a glow in her heart, and a flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. Thank goodness he couldn’t read her mind! She smiled at the memory as she pulled the brush through her hair.
“My, my, what put that smile on your face?”
Cara turned to see her mother standing in the doorway. “Mom! You startled me.”
“I’m sorry, dear. You’re not planning to go out, are you?”
Cara nodded. “Vince called a little while ago. He’s picking me up in twenty minutes.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I’m just going over to Vince’s for a few hours.”
“Why don’t the two of you stay here?”
Cara turned back to the mirror, a faint blush warming her cheeks. How could she tell her mother she wanted to be alone with Vince, that she wanted to curl up in his arms and stay there forever?
But no words were necessary. “I see,” Brenna said quietly.
“Have you heard from Dad?” Cara asked, hoping to change the subject.
“No, but he’s fine.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do. Cara, please don’t go out tonight.”
“Mom, I’ll be fine. Frank will…”
“Frank was there when Anton kidnapped you, remember?”
“Are you saying you think I’m in danger with Vince?”
“No, of course not. Do I need to remind you that that creature is still out there, and so is Anton? Both of them are dangerous.”
Cara bit down on the inside corner of her lower lip. Her mother was right, of course. As much as she wanted to be alone with Vince, going out suddenly seemed foolish.
“I’ll stay in my room if you and Vince want some time alone,” Brenna offered, thinking it might be wise for her to be nearby. If Vince chose tonight to tell Cara the truth, her daughter might need consoling later.
Cara blew out a sigh. “All right, we’ll stay here.”
“You promise?”
“I promise, Mom.”
Relieved, Brenna gave her daughter a hug. “Call me if you need me,” she said, and left the room.
Cara stared after her mother. What an odd thing to say, she thought, and then forgot all about it when she heard the doorbell ring.
Hurrying down the stairs, Cara looked through the peephole before opening the door, felt her heart somersault inside her breast when she saw Vince standing on the porch.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly.
“Hi yourself. Are you ready?”
“I’m afraid I can’t go. I promised my mom I’d stay in tonight.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
She looked at him as if he wasn’t too bright. “Hello? That creature is still out there, you know, and Mom seems to think Anton might be a threat, too.”
Vince followed Cara into the living room, admiring the sway of her hips and the way the lamplight shone in the wealth of her hair.
“She’s probably right.” He suspected the real reason Brenna wanted Cara to stay home was to keep the two of them from “going any further.”
Cara sat on the sofa, then looked up at him expectantly.
He sat beside her, drawn by her warmth, the glow in her eyes, the seductive smile playing over her lips. Did she have any idea how beautiful she was, or how hard it was for him to resist her? Even now, it was all he could do to keep from dragging her into his arms, brushing her hair away from her neck, and tasting the sweetness pulsing through her veins. She attracted him on so many levels—her beauty, her intelligence, her ready smile. With her, he felt whole, complete. Loved. He closed his eyes. How could he leave her? Even if he lived as long as Mara, he knew he would never again find anyone like Cara.
“Vince? Is something wrong?”
He opened his eyes to find her staring at him, her brow furrowed with concern.
“No, darlin’. How could anything be wrong when I’m here with you?”
She batted her eyelashes at him. “Why, sir,” she said in a mock Southern accent, “you do say the sweetest things.”
“And you, miss, are the most enchanting female I’ve ever known.”
His voice moved over her like a velvet caress. “Vince…”
“Come here, darlin’.”
She scooted closer, her eyelids fluttering down as his mouth found hers. In moments, she was lying on her side on the sofa, his body aligned with hers, their legs entwined. He kissed her as if he could never get enough, as if he needed her as much as the air he breathed, as if his very survival depended on her. It was a heady sensation.
His hands caressed her with tender urgency and she drew him closer, reveling in the feel of his body pressed against hers. Heat unfurled deep within her, spreading outward, warming her, arousing her until the rest of the world fell away and there was only this man, this moment.
She murmured his name, begging him to carry her upstairs, to make love to her all through the night.
“Ah, darlin’,” he replied, his voice ragged, “I’d like nothing better.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
“We’re not alone,” he reminded her.
“Then let’s go to your place.”
“I thought you promised your mother you’d stay here?”
“I did, but…” She pressed her face against his chest. “I want you so much.”
It was tempting, but he wasn’t about to put her life at risk. He wasn’t afraid of Anton. He could destroy the weasel with a look, but he wasn’t so sure about the creature inhabiting Anthony Loken’s body. Vince blew out a sigh. Against mortals, he was nearly invincible. Against a creature raised from the dead…he didn’t know, and he didn’t intend to find out, not if it put Cara’s life at risk.
She stared up at him, her lips swollen from his kisses, her breathing uneven. He could smell himself on her, smell her need, her desire.
“Please, Vince?”
Damn! How could he refuse her when he wanted her as much as she wanted him?
For a moment, he was tempted to pull her into his arms and carry her to his place, creature or no creature. After all, though she didn’t know it, this was to be their last night together. Coward that he was, this time he was going to kiss her good-bye and walk out of her life forever. For a moment, his yearning warred with his good sense. In the end, his good sense won out. Leaving Cara again was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done, but she had no place in his world. He couldn’t be certain that he would always be in control of his hunger or his lust, and if anything happened to her because of him, because of what he was…