“I’m sure he’ll be as talented as you were.” She caressed the headstone, her fingers tracing the letters of his name. “He’s such a handsome young man, so like you in every way. You’ll be so pleased when you see him. I’ve kept your lab just the way you left it. I’ll be using it soon. Anton will have to help me subdue the vampire. I was going to use the woman’s blood for the blood of an enemy, but I think Roshan’s will be more effective. I’ll probably have to kill him…”
She smiled. “Or maybe I’ll let you do that. Would that please you?” she queried. Then, thinking about it, she frowned. “I think we might have to kill them all.”
Dropping down on her knees, she pressed a kiss to the top of the headstone. “Rest well, my beloved, until next we meet.”
Soon, she thought, soon the time would be right and they would be together forever, as they were meant to be.
Chapter 16
Cara stood in front of the bathroom mirror, examining her appearance with a critical eye. She wanted to look pretty for Vince. She had donned her favorite pair of slinky black slacks, a hot pink silk shirt, and a pair of black high-heeled sandals. She wore her hair loose, pulled away from her face with a pair of silver combs.
She had just put on her lipstick when she heard his knock at the door. What felt like a million butterflies immediately started doing somersaults in the pit of her stomach. He was here!
She took a slow, deep breath, and then another one before forcing herself to walk slowly to the door. She took another deep breath before she opened it. “Hi.”
He whistled softly. “Hi, yourself. Wow, you look fantastic!”
“Thank you. Come on in.”
When he stepped across the threshold, she felt a funny little tingle slip down her spine.
“So,” he said, “where would you like to go tonight?”
“I don’t know.” She lowered her gaze. “Do we have to go somewhere?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“I could order something from room service and we could stay in and watch a movie.”
“Sure, darlin’, if that’s what you want.”
“Are you hungry?”
“You bet. You look good enough to eat.”
She stared at him, wide-eyed, her cheeks almost as pink as her shirt. “Vince…”
He pulled her into his arms, his gaze capturing hers. “Do you want me to stop?”
“You haven’t done anything yet,” she said, her voice little more than a squeak.
“But I want to.” His lips brushed her cheek, the tip of her nose, her eyelids. “I want to taste every inch of you, explore every curve.”
She blinked up at him, her eyelids fluttering down as his mouth closed over hers. She was drowning in a haze of sensation. His mouth was everywhere, dropping feather-light kisses along both sides of her neck, nuzzling her breasts. His breath penetrated the thin silk of her shirt, heating her skin, melting her resistance. He kissed her again, long and deep, and when his tongue tangled with hers, she felt the electric heat of it sizzle all the way to the very center of her being.
Without knowing quite how they got there, she found herself lying on the sofa with Vince stretched out beside her, his mouth on hers, their bodies pressed intimately together from shoulder to thigh. His hand slid slowly, seductively, up and down her side, his thumb skimming the edge of her breast.
She moaned softly, thinking she had never known such pleasure, or such torment. She strained against him, her hips moving in the age-old dance of mating. Her body was on fire, screaming for relief.
“Cara, dammit…”
His breath whispered against her neck. She felt the heat of his tongue, the scrape of his teeth.
“Vince…please, Vince.”
Her voice spurred him on, urging him to take what she was offering, to satisfy her hunger and his own, even as the voice of his conscience warred within him. He closed his eyes, the scent of her need and her blood arousing him until it was almost painful.
It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to let her go. He took a deep breath, about to sit up and tell her they needed to take a walk and cool off, when her hand slid between their bodies, cupping his manhood, driving him over the edge.
Scooping her into his arms, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed.
She looked up at him, her eyes smoky with desire and a hint of uncertainty.
Vince swore softly. What the hell was he thinking? He had to tell her the truth, now. And when he did, she’d walk out of his life just like she’d walked away from her parents.
“Cara…”
“Make love to me, Vince.”
“I don’t think that’s a good…”
“Don’t think.” She reached for his hand, drawing him down on the bed beside her. “Don’t you want me?”
“Is that a trick question?” He had to keep things light between them before he did something they would both regret when it was over.
“Now you’re making fun of me.”
“No, darlin’. I just don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing.” She ran her hands over his chest, up over his shoulders, down his arms.
“Have you ever been with a man before?”
“Of course.”
He drew his fingertip along her cheek. “Now, why don’t I believe you?”
“Come closer,” she said, her hand sliding seductively over his belly, “and I’ll prove it.”
“Cara, we need to talk.”
“Later,” she said, and drawing his head down, she kissed him, and he was lost.
With a low groan, he pulled her into his arms and surrendered to the hunger burning through him.
Her skin was soft and smooth, warm with life, her lips sweeter than wine. His hand delved into the wealth of her hair, loving the way the strands curled around his fingers. He massaged her nape, her back, gentling her to his touch. She was passionate and pliable in his arms, willing to follow wherever he led. He caressed her until she writhed beneath him, as eager and anxious as he.
He basked in her touch as she explored his body in return. It took all his willpower to hold both his hunger and his desire in check until, with a soft whimper, she urged him to take her.
Murmuring her name, he lifted her hips to receive him, only then realizing that he had been right all along. She had never been intimate with a man. But by then, it was too late.
She fell asleep in his arms.