Night's Pleasure (Children of The Night 4)

He smiled, a slow, sexy smile. “I hope you don’t play poker.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning.

“It means your thoughts are as easy to read as print on a page.”

She had forgotten he could read her mind. “That’s not fair, you know.”

“Honey, I don’t have to read your mind to know what you’re thinking. You don’t trust me.”

She started to deny it, but what was the point? He would know she was lying. So she went on the defensive instead. “Can you blame me? Vampires killed my parents, and—”

“Dammit, Savanah,” he said quietly. “I didn’t do it.”

“I know that, but…”

“Forget it. I don’t blame you for the way you feel. It’s normal. Do you want to go home?”

“No.”

He studied her face a moment, then got out of the car.

She watched him walk around the front of the car. Ever the gentleman, he opened the door for her. She didn’t hesitate when he offered her his hand. For better or worse, her fate was now tied to his.

In spite of her brave façade, she followed him somewhat warily into the house. A wave of his hand and a fire sprang to life in the stone hearth. She figured she must be getting used to the Supernatural, since she hardly jumped at all.

He turned on the lights, revealing a large, rectangular room with plush beige carpeting and dark red velvet draperies. Twin white sofas were placed on either side of an enormous marble fireplace. In one corner, a round black table polished to a high sheen sat between a pair of overstuffed red velvet chairs. Several paintings decorated the walls. A sword in a silver sheath hung over the mantel. There were no mirrors in evidence.

“What do you think?” Rane asked, coming up beside her.

“It’s very nice.” When he’d mentioned a place in the mountains, she had pictured a little log cabin decorated with deer heads and secondhand furniture. “Who did you say this belonged to?”

“I told you, an old friend of the family.”

“How old?”

“No one really knows,” Rane said, grinning, “but it’s rumored she knew Cleopatra.”

“I don’t believe you! Nobody, nothing, lives that long.”

“Maybe not,” Rane said with a shrug, “but that’s the rumor. Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

In addition to the living room, the main floor housed a roomy kitchen with black appliances, a high, round oak table and four chairs, and shuttered windows. There were two good-sized bedrooms, both with fireplaces and private baths. Again, there were no mirrors to be seen. The décor was sparse, but what there was, was quality. She glanced at the Monets hanging in the bedrooms and the Picasso in the hallway. She wasn’t an expert, but they looked like the real deal. She thought the frames alone probably cost more than her car.

“And this is the playroom,” Rane said, leading the way downstairs.

The basement had been converted into a rec room dominated by a large satellite screen. Savanah shook her head. No expense had been spared in decorating this room. A couple of comfy-looking leather sofas sat on either side of an enormous glass-topped coffee table. Matching armchairs were arranged in a cozy grouping. A regulation-sized pool table occupied the far end of the room.

Savanah quickly perused a floor-to-ceiling shelf filled with books, puzzles, and a score of electronic games. She saw a desk with a state-of-the-art computer and a twenty-one-inch monitor at the other end of the room. A doorway led to a roomy bathroom, and beyond that, a laundry room.

“There’s a pool out back,” Rane said. He opened the curtains, then flipped a switch, illuminating a covered patio, a round table and a number of chairs.

“Your friend must be very rich,” Savanah exclaimed.

“So they say.”

“Are you sure she won’t mind our staying here?”

“I’m sure. Besides being a friend of the family, she’s also my godmother.”

“I’ve heard of fairy godmothers,” Savanah mused, “but a Vampire godmother? That’s a new one on me.”

Rane laughed softly as he drew Savanah into his arms. “You never fail to delight me,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across her lips.

She blinked up at him, momentarily distracted by his kiss and his nearness.

A roguish smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Drat the man. He knew exactly what effect his kisses had on her, whether they were long and slow, or short and sweet.

Determined not to stroke his already inflated ego, she gestured at a narrow doorway beside the bookshelf. “Where does that go?”

“To the subbasement.”

“What’s down there?”

“Mara’s private quarters.”

“Really? I don’t suppose…?”

“No, you can’t go down there. Come on, there’s more to see.”

Taking her hand, he led her back upstairs to the main floor, and then up a short flight of steps that opened into a master suite that held a king-size bed, a matching dresser and nightstands, a satellite screen, and a corner fireplace. The adjoining sitting area was furnished with two rocking chairs, a low table, and a bookshelf filled with a number of books and DVDs.

“It’s lovely,” Savanah said. And indeed it was. The walls were off-white, the quilt on the bed was burgundy, as were the matching drapes that covered the room’s single window. The thick white carpet beneath her feet made her want to take off her shoes and wiggle her toes. “If she sleeps downstairs…?”

“This is the, uh, guestroom, I guess you’d call it.”

He didn’t have to spell it out for her. Being a Vampire, Mara wouldn’t let anyone else into her lair, so this was where she “entertained” her male companions.

Rane grinned wryly as comprehension dawned in Savanah’s eyes and pinked her cheeks. “This will be your room.”

“Are you going to share it with me?” She hadn’t intended to ask that. Only hours ago, she had wondered if she would ever be able to share a bed with him again.

“Is that an invitation?”

She hesitated a moment, then said, “Only if you want it to be.”

“What do you think?”

She pretended to consider it a moment, then smiled. “I think the bed is big enough for two.” In point of fact, it was big enough for three or four. The thought made her cheeks burn hotter.

“Maybe we’ll find out later,” Rane said, winking at her. “Do you want to help me carry in our bags?”