Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting 1)

Maybe Mr. Right didn't exist for anyone. Well, except for Jennifer, who was off on her honeymoon and, according to her last letter, having the time of her life with the love of her life. But who knew how long that would last? These days, some marriages were over almost before they began. Daisy sighed. If there was a Mr. Right in her future, she certainly wasn't going to find him in a place like this.

She glanced at her drink, still untouched, and decided she didn't need it. What she needed was to go to Boston and visit her family. Her parents had their differences and their disagreements, but they had managed to survive thirty-five years of married life without killing each other. Maybe that was the best you could hope for. Maybe she would take her mom's advice and go out with Kevin O'Reilly. And maybe she wouldn't.

And maybe it was time to call it a night. It was almost eleven.

She was reaching for her handbag when there was a subtle change in the atmosphere in the room. Even before she saw him walking toward her, Daisy knew Erik had entered the Crypt.

She clutched her handbag. Seeing him, she felt suddenly foolish. Why had she come here? He would know she had come here looking for him. How pathetic was that? Why hadn't she stayed home where she belonged, and let him come to her, if he had a mind to?

She would have fled, but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. And then it was too late.

"Daisy."

Just her name, but hearing it on his lips made her stomach curl with pleasure. "Erik." She pressed her handbag to her chest. "I was just leaving."

"So soon?"

She shrugged. "It's late."

"Not really." His gaze moved over her, warming every place it rested. "At least give me one dance."

"There's no music." The band didn't play on Monday or Tuesday nights.

"There's always music when you're around," he murmured.

Daisy frowned as a slow ballad emanated from the jukebox. How had that happened? No one had put any money in the machine.

"One dance?" Erik coaxed.

She knew it was a mistake, but she couldn't resist the thought of being in his arms again. "All right, maybe just one." She dropped her handbag on the table, then let him lead her onto the empty dance floor.

"I'm sorry about last night," he murmured as he took her into his arms.

With a sigh, Daisy melted into his embrace. Later, she would demand to know why he had stood her up, but not now. Now all she wanted was to forget everything else and enjoy being close to him. But a little nagging voice in the back of her mind had other ideas.

"Where were you last night?" The words slipped past her lips before she could call them back.

"At a business meeting."

"Really?" she said, her voice frosty. "I didn't know men who didn't work had meetings."

"It wasn't work related. Simply a meeting of an...an organization I'm heavily involved in."

"What kind of organization?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

She frowned at him. "Very funny." Irritated, she tried to pull away, but his arm tightened around her waist. "Let me go."

"No. I'd tell you if I could, but I really can't talk about it. I'm sorry about last night. Believe me, I'd much rather have been here, with you. Forgive me?"

She wanted to hang on to her anger, but how could she when he was looking at her like that? He had the most expressive eyes, deep and black, with thick lashes that any woman would envy.

He smiled a slow, sexy smile. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me." The music ended, but he didn't let her go. She felt a little silly standing there in the middle of the dance floor, swaying back and forth when the music had stopped.

"How about that date?" he asked, "now that you know me better?"

"I don't know."

"Still a little angry about last night?"

"Maybe."

He blew out a sigh. "Will you meet me here tomorrow night?"

"I don't know. Will you show up this time?"

"I promise." Bending down, he kissed the tip of her nose. "I didn't promise last time."

"All right. I'll give you one more chance."

"What time will you be here?"

"Eight thirty."

He nodded. "Eight thirty. Tomorrow night," he said with a grin. "It's a date."

Daisy woke Tuesday morning with a smile on her face. She told herself not to get too excited. Just because he had promised to show up didn't mean he would. But she couldn't stop smiling.

She showered and dressed, made her bed, ate a quick breakfast, read her e-mail, and left the house, her mind filled with thoughts of Erik.

Daisy had been driving around the north side for almost an hour when she realized that the only lairs her compass was leading her to were houses or hideouts she had already visited. The same held true for the east side. Since she hated to visit the same lair more than two or three times, she decided it was time to widen her net. Up until now, she had avoided the slums on the south side, and the upscale west side, but that was about to change. She had orders to fill.

Making a sharp U-turn, she drove south. She seemed to recall her father telling her that one of the New Orleans vamps had recently taken up residence in this part of the city. If anyone would know, it was her dad. He had been a vampire hunter most of his adult life.

Daisy had only gone a couple of blocks when the needle on her compass changed colors. Muttering, "thanks, Dad," Daisy made a quick left turn.

The lair was located in a run-down motel that, by the looks of it, had gone out of business quite some time ago. The windows were boarded up. The grass was dead. The pool was empty. Several sun-faded signs warned against trespassing.

Daisy parked out of sight behind the motel. After spraying herself with Scent-B-Gone, she grabbed the tools of her trade and followed the compass. It led her into the motel office. Following the now bright-red needle, she went through the office door and down a narrow hallway that led into a small room that held nothing but an old-fashioned, beat-up, boxlike freezer.

Frowning, Daisy stared at the needle and then at the freezer. She tapped the compass lightly, but the needle continued to point at the freezer. Daisy grunted softly. The vampires on the popular TV show Moonlight had slept in freezers. She had never heard of real-life vampires doing such a thing and thought it rather odd, but, hey, the whole vampire thing was odd.

Shrugging, she reached for the lid, only it wouldn't open. Locked from the inside, perhaps. Time for the crowbar.

It took several tries, but she finally managed to pry the lid open. A shiny black coffin rested inside the freezer.