Desire the Night

He stared down at her. “What the hell!”

She looked up at him, her whole body throbbing with need. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he stood glaring down at her. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”

She blinked at him, confused by his anger.

“I thought …” He shook his head. “When you told me you were ‘engaged to be engaged’ I figured you just wanted a last fling before you settled down. I didn’t realize you were …” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Shit.”

“Oh.” She felt a blush heat her cheeks as embarrassment overcame desire. “I … that is … since I don’t have any choice in who I marry, I thought …”

“I guess I know what you thought.” Gideon sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers idly stroking the back of her hand. “I guess I should be flattered.”

Pulling the bedspread over her nakedness, she muttered, “Do we have to have this conversation now?”

“No.” Why leave her unsatisfied when the damage was already done? It was, after all, her first time. He reached for her, determined to make her first time memorable in spite of what had just happened, then paused, nostrils flaring. “Someone’s here.”

No sooner had he said the words than the doorbell rang.

“Must be the pizza.” Kay shook her head in exasperation. Talk about bad timing!

Gideon brushed a kiss across her cheek, then pulled on his pants when the doorbell rang again. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”

Kay stared after him. Who needed food at a time like this? For once, it wasn’t food she was hungry for, but Gideon’s strong arms and passionate kisses. She smiled, remembering how incredible he had made her feel.

She let out a startled cry when Gideon suddenly materialized beside the bed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, worried by the angry look in his eyes, the tension in his arms.

He said only one word. “Verah.”

Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. She experienced a slightly queasy sensation in the pit of her stomach, a disorienting sense of spinning through time and space as everything went black.

When her vision returned, she was cradled in Gideon’s arms. A quick glance showed they were in a large rectangular room made of cement painted light blue. Dark blue carpet covered the floor. A trio of candles in tall, wrought-iron stands provided pale, flickering light. A king-sized bed covered by a thick black quilt took up most of one end of the room. The only other furniture was an old-fashioned wardrobe made of rosewood and a good-sized, iron-bound chest that stood at the foot of the bed.

But it was the polished ebony casket on a raised wooden dais at the far side of the room that held Kay transfixed.

She had only one question, and it came out in a hushed whisper. “Where are we?”

“An underground lair near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.” He owned the property. The building overhead was empty, but it was equipped with electricity and water, which had been rerouted to his lair. Anyone breaking into the building above would find what looked like an abandoned warehouse. A large sign nailed to the front door advised would-be vandals that the building was unsafe. Nevertheless, in times past, he’d had to chase kids who were high on drugs of one kind or another out of the place, not to mention the occasional transient.

His lair consisted of three large rooms—living room, bedroom, and bathroom—and one small alcove adjacent to the bathroom that contained an apartment-sized refrigerator where he kept a supply of bagged blood for emergencies when he was in town. Thankfully, he’d rarely had to resort to using it. He far preferred his nourishment to be hot and fresh.

“What are we doing here?” Kay asked. She couldn’t draw her gaze away from the ebony casket, couldn’t stop imagining Gideon lying inside, his eyes closed, his body as cold and still as death.

“Kiya? Kiya, look at me.”

With a shudder, she dragged her gaze from the coffin.

“It’s just an old box made of wood.”

She nodded. “I know, but …”

“I don’t sleep in it.”

“Then why is it here?”

“Every vampire needs one.”

“If you don’t sleep in it, why do you need it?”

“It contains a little dirt from the town where I was born. If I get seriously injured, I heal faster if I sleep on the earth from my homeland. I’ve never had to use it.”

“Why do you have one here, but not in Phoenix or New York?”

“There’s one in Phoenix, behind the bookcase, and one in New York, behind the fireplace.”

“And they all have dirt in them?”

He nodded.

“So, you have three.” She digested that a moment, then asked, “How did Verah find us?”

“How do you think?”

“Oh, right. Magic.”

“Right the first time. You’re cold.” He could feel her shivering in his arms. Not surprising, since she was stark naked.

“A little.”

Carrying her to the bed, he drew back the covers and tucked her in.

She pulled the blankets up to her chin. “Will we be safe here, do you think?”

“I don’t know.” He raked a hand through his hair, wondering what spell Verah had used to track them down and if there was any way to shield their whereabouts if she tried again.

“How long are we going to stay here?”

“I don’t know.” Cussing under his breath, he paced the floor. He should have put a shield around his apartment in New York, but he had been so enamored of Kay, he just hadn’t thought of it. Had he done so, it might have prevented Verah from entering his lair. As it was, he had barely managed to get himself and Kay out in time. Alone, he might have done battle face-to-face with the old witch, but not with Kay in the house.

This lair, heavily warded against intruders, had been built over a hundred years ago, when vampire hunters roamed the land, ready to take the head and heart of anyone they suspected might belong to the supernatural community. Many innocent people had been killed in those turbulent days. He could only hope his wards were strong enough to repel vindictive witches.

Gideon rubbed a hand across his jaw. Maybe what he needed was a witch of his own. But for now, he had some unfinished business with the sexy werewolf waiting in his bed.

Kay woke smiling, reluctant to abandon the dream she’d been having. Stretching her arms over her head, she glanced at the man sleeping beside her. Gideon had made slow, sweet love to her last night and she knew, without a doubt, that she would never be satisfied with any other man. He had been gentle and tender the first time, infinitely patient as she explored his body from head to foot, and all the interesting places in between. She had been surprised to learn he was ticklish on the bottom of his feet. It seemed incongruous, somehow, for a vampire to be ticklish. And then he had turned the tables on her, his hands and lips touching and tasting every inch of her, arousing her until she thought she would die if he didn’t take her. There were no words to describe the sensations that had engulfed her. Ever considerate of her needs, he had made sure that her pleasure came before his own.