Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting 1)

"Probably waiting for you to come home," Erik replied with a wry grin.

Tossing the phone onto the floor, Daisy slid under the covers again. "I hate to leave."

"Me, too." Erik stroked her back, loving the warmth of her skin beneath his hand, the little purr of pleasure that rose in her throat at his touch.

Daisy sighed. "I guess we should go."

"How about a quickie first?"

"But Alex said to hurry."

"So, we'll hurry."

"But not too fast," Daisy said with a smile.

"No," Erik agreed, drawing her body against his. "Not too fast."

Chapter 34

Alex was waiting for them at the front door. "What the hell took you so long to get here?" he asked irritably, and then grimaced as he took in his sister's tousled hair and swollen lips. "Never mind. I don't wanna know."

Shaking his head in disgust, he turned on his heel and stalked into the living room.

"Where's Rhys?" Erik asked, his gaze sweeping the room.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? Dammit, he didn't go out, did he?"

"No, I think he's sacked out in Daisy's closet."

"My closet!" Daisy exclaimed. "What's he doing in there?"

Alex shrugged. "He wanted a room without a window."

"So, he doesn't know about the e-mail you received?" Erik asked.

"Hell, no! I wasn't about to wake him up!"

"Probably a wise decision," Erik said, chuckling. "Let's go have a look at that e-mail."

Muttering under his breath, Alex headed for Daisy's office and sat down at the desk. It took only moments for him to boot up and find the anticipated message.

Daisy stood behind him, reading over his shoulder.

Meet me tonight at the back door

of La Morte Rouge at midnight.

Bring the proof with you.

Come alone.

RD

"Alone?" Daisy said. "No way!"

"He won't be alone," Erik said. "I'll be there with Rhys."

"And I'll be there," Daisy said.

Erik and Alex both said, "No," at the same time.

"Why not?" Daisy asked. "I've got just as big a stake in this--you should pardon the pun--as you do."

Alex scowled at her.

Erik laughed. "You're staying home because I said so, and because I have a pretty good idea who's behind this, and I don't want you anywhere around when we meet. Got it?"

Daisy glared at him, her hands fisted on her hips. "And if I refuse, what are you going to do, tie me to a chair?"

"Or to the bed," Erik retorted with a wicked grin.

"Do you think you could keep it down in here? Some of us were trying to sleep."

Erik glanced over his shoulder as Costain entered the room. "I've never known you to turn in before sunrise."

Rhys snorted softly. "There's nothing else to do here." He jerked his chin toward the computer. "So, what's going on?"

"We got an answer to Alex's e-mail."

Rhys moved up behind Alex, his gaze moving quickly over the words on the screen. He grunted softly. "They want a meet, at midnight, at my place?"

Erik nodded. "So it seems. Does that strike you as odd?"

"For a mortal, yes," Costain replied, his voice deceptively mild.

"But not for one of us," Erik mused.

"Exactly."

A slow smile spread over Costain's face. Looking at it sent chills down Daisy's spine. She didn't know who had put out a hit on the Master of the City, but she was glad it wasn't her.

Erik's head snapped up as a sliver of light penetrated the window over the computer. As one, he and Rhys stepped away from the desk.

Daisy reached over Alex's head to draw the curtains. "Sorry about that."

Rhys shrugged. "Force of habit. It doesn't really bother me much anymore."

"Speak for yourself," Erik muttered.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to bed," Daisy said, and then bit down on her lower lip as she recalled that Rhys had been sleeping in her closet.

Erik slipped his arm around Daisy's shoulders. "Rhys will find another closet, won't you?"

"Never let it be said I stood in the way of true love," Rhys muttered.

Alex frowned at Daisy, clearly not liking the fact that Rhys would be sleeping in his closet, since Daisy's house only had two bedrooms.

"Sorry," Daisy said, smiling sweetly at Alex. "Only one vampire to a bedroom, and Erik is sharing mine."

And so saying, she took Erik by the hand and led him up the stairs to her room.

Erik closed the door behind them. "Second thoughts?" he asked.

"No, why?"

He shrugged. They had made love, they had slept together, but he had never succumbed to the Dark Sleep in her presence. Or in anyone else's, for that matter.

Daisy looked at him, her brow furrowed, and then murmured, "Oh," as comprehension dawned.

"I can rest outside."

"Outside? Where?"

"In the ground."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I didn't say I wanted to. I was just thinking about you, about how you'd feel sharing your bed with..."

"A sleeping vampire?"

"Exactly."

"You don't snore or talk in your sleep, do you?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I don't."

Daisy yawned behind her hand. "Well, I don't know about you, but I can't stay awake any longer."

Feeling a little shy, she turned her back to Erik. After toeing off her sandals, she pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it on a chair.

"A little late for modesty, isn't it?" Erik asked, a smile in his voice.

Crossing her arms over her br**sts, Daisy glanced at him over her shoulder, surprised to see that he was already undressed save for his briefs.

"Here," Erik said, "let me help you."

"This is getting to be a habit," she murmured as he unfastened her bra and tossed it aside.

"But a nice one," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Her cheeks grew hot as Erik unzipped her jeans and slid them down over her hips. When she stepped out of them, he tossed them on top of her sweater. Her panties and his briefs followed.

"I think you've bewitched me, woman," he said as he slid into bed beside her.

"I think you've got that backwards," Daisy remarked, cuddling up against him. "You're the witch."

"That's one kind of magic," Erik replied, "but it's nothing like the magic you've worked on me."