21 Shades of Night, page 233
A faint hint of jealousy flavored her words. He swore she was testing him, wanting to know more about his relationship with his housekeeper.
“I don’t share my bed with my maid. I’ve had my heart stolen once before, and no one has ever measured up to Elizabeth, not until now.” Not measured up to her. Was her, damn it. Why couldn’t she see that? He hated the pretense.
Alena sighed deeply. “But I’m not Elizabeth.” She lifted a hand to cover a yawn. “She’ll have to live on in your memory. As for me, I need to sleep, or I’ll be cranky in the morning. And believe me, you don’t want to see me like that.”
He had seen her like that, Elizabeth, that was. And he loved her any way he could have her.
He unfastened a button on his shirt. Her brows rose.
“What can it hurt, if I join you in bed, lass? I offer you my protection from nightmares and anything that might go bump in the night. And I promise you as a gentleman, I wouldn’t force my attentions on you, if you refuse them.”
“That’s allowing that I’m awake enough to refuse them.”
She hadn’t forbidden him to join her in bed yet. His fingers slipped down to the third button on his shirt. Even though her words said no, her eyes took in his actions with a look of hunger.
She yawned again.
He attempted to reassure and get a concession from her at the same time. “We’ll sleep together, nothing more. Fair enough?”
“Only if you don’t snore.”
He worked faster on his buttons before she changed her mind. “Do you want me to help you get into something more comfortable?” Naked and wrapped in his arms was all that he envisioned.
Shaking her head, she left the bed, unzipped her bag, and extracted a filmy peach gown.
He couldn’t help but stare at it. The notion of seeing her in the slinky nightwear, nearly naked and in his arms...
She turned to face him and caught the way he was looking at her nightgown. “Uhm, maybe you should retire to your own room.”
Again, she hadn’t said in any definitive way she didn’t want him with her in the bed although she chewed on her lower lip and looked a bit anxious.
“I wish to protect you.” Turning his back to her, he jerked his shirt off and tried to ignore the sound of her zipper when she pulled it down. Sleeping with the huntress, but not having her the way he wished, would be the hardest test of his self-control he’d ever experienced.
When he was wearing only his satin boxers, she said, “Can you turn out the light?”
Hoping to ease her discomfort, he didn’t turn to look at her. “Didn’t you want to get into bed first?”
“I’ll find my way there just fine.”
He flipped the overhead light off, but when she didn’t move, he turned to see her standing in the dark like a Grecian goddess. The silky garment flowed over her curves with a gentle caress over the swell of her breasts, her nipples dusky against the fabric, the patch of red curls between her legs barely visible, making his groin tighten with need. She must have known he could observe her in the dark, but it seemed to comfort her that she couldn’t see him watching her. Stretching her hands toward the bed, she stepped cautiously toward it.
He joined her and touched her hand. She gasped.
“I’m just helping you to the bed.”
“And you’re not looking at me.”
He gave a wolfish grin. It was a good that she couldn’t see his expression in the dark.
Her nipples stretched out to him, begging for his kisses, their rosy forms standing out against the silky fabric. The obscured thatch of curly red hair at the apex of her legs incited his craving to bury himself deep inside her, claiming her for his own, forever. He’d have to be a eunuch not to want to get an eyeful of his beloved. But he damn well wanted more than a look.
When he reached the bed, he pulled the covers aside. “In you go.”
As soon as she climbed onto the mattress, he urged her over. Her response would indicate whether she truly agreed to his joining her in bed or not.
She scooted over. His heartbeat quickened. Though taking it slowly with the woman of his dreams was trying his patience, any concession on her part brought him closer to his goal, recapturing her heart and soul.
He climbed into bed, covered them, then reached over and pulled her against his bare chest. Her hair tickled his chin, and he kissed the top of her head. Though he craved to take their relationship all the way tonight, he stroked her arm with a gentle caress until her breathing grew shallow. Sleeping with her would have to suffice for now.
He had to earn her trust, first. Once she’d fully committed to him, there was no turning back, not for either of them. And the dangerous game they played would turn all the more deadly.
* * *
AT DAYBREAK, ALENA woke with a start. The knowledge that a warm male body was wrapped around her in a loving embrace sank into her waking consciousness. Sutton. She moaned inwardly. Had she earned his trust enough so he’d share his secret project with her without having gone too far? Hopefully, yes. Hating the deception, she knew she had to end this charade as soon as possible.
Recalling the too damned passionate kiss they’d shared last night had kindled deeper feelings she’d struggled to keep at bay. Physically, she’d responded to the dangerous lure of his kiss, but emotionally, she’d attempted to keep her feelings caged in. Her attempts weren’t working. And worse, she feared another kiss like they’d shared would catapult her into some dark past that she didn’t want to explore. What if she lost herself? She’d felt as though she was slipping into a darkened well, memories of having been with the beguiling Highlander in the distant past, swamping any other thought—drawing her under until she was lost—Alena no longer, but Elizabeth, another woman entirely.
That’s what she now feared.
Sutton’s dark hair spread across the pillow, free from the leather strap that had bound it. She battled with the urge to run her fingers through the silky dark brown strands. To remain with him in bed, to snuggle and shove away any thoughts of the trouble she was now in.
But Misty’s predicament required her vigilance. How to save her and kill as many bloodsuckers as Alena could in the interim remained her main concern. She didn’t have any choice. She thought the voice of the man who’d spoken to her was Kisaro’s. If she brought hunter reinforcements, the Brotherhood would kill Misty, then vanish. Then they’d come after Alena some other time... but Misty would be dead.
Alena attempted to slip out of Sutton’s arms without waking him, but he whispered, “Beloved Elizabeth.”
Biting her lip in exasperation, she pulled free. “At least you could think of me as Alena,” she grumbled under her breath. She crossed the room to reach her suitcase.
“Alena.” Sutton’s voice was full of regret.
Turning, she was surprised to see his dark eyes wide awake. “I’m sorry I disturbed your sleep. I’m hungry and was going to get some breakfast.” She hated lying when instead she intended to rescue Misty before Sutton even knew she’d left the house.
His gaze shifted to her nightgown, and she felt a flush of heat spread across her skin from her cheeks all the way to her bare toes. She grabbed a change of clothes, then hurried out of the room.
“I’ll join you,” he called after her.
“Not in the shower, you won’t!”
He laughed and the seductive sound sent a curl of warmth spiraling through her. Jeez, if he appeared in her shower, she’d scream. Yet the idea he’d join her intrigued her. She imagined his large hands soaping her breasts, her belly, reaching lower to soap between her legs.
Definitely time to find a hunter mate.
At least she and Sutton hadn’t made love. Finding a hunter mate who would accept her if she’d made love to any vampire, but especially when he was on her terminal list as a rogue, would take some doing.
She shut the bathroom door and immediately realized her wrist blades were still in the bedroom on the bedside table. Whatever made her take them off anyway?
Sutton. He could charm the pants right off a huntress.
Yeah, he’d done that even. Though she had some reasons of her own. Had he fallen for her act?
She quickly took a shower in the blue guest bathroom down the hall and slipped into blue denims and an aqua turtleneck. Through the mini-blinds, she could see the day would remain stormy. The overhead lights flickered, and a clap of thunder boomed overhead. The ominous weather added to her anxiety concerning Misty.
Alena finished pulling her hair back with a scrunchy and headed for the front door. No way would she compromise rescuing Misty while Sutton tagged along. But she doubted she could convince him to stay behind. Better to sneak out without his knowledge now before it was too late.
After she rescued Misty, she’d return to Sutton’s home to find out about his project. Beyond that, she was bound and determined to discover why the Brotherhood had been formed and why she’d been targeted.
Pots and pans clanked in the kitchen. Alena assumed Mona was fixing breakfast. Was Sutton still dressing in the bedroom? Damn, her wrist blades were still inaccessible if she wanted to sneak out of the house without Sutton being aware of her plans. She quashed the exasperation curdling her blood.
Her sword would have to do. She grabbed the front doorknob and tried to open it without making a sound. It clicked open, sounding like she’d just broken into a bank vault in the middle of the night, the alarm bells soon to follow. To compound that, the door squeaked to add tension and perspiration to her already overwrought body.
“Going somewhere?” Sutton asked behind her.
She swung around and dropped her car keys on the tile floor. A trickle of dread slithered down her spine as her whole body prickled with heat as she saw him watching her, his gaze dark and shadowed.
Before she could retrieve the keys, he scooped them up and smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his fathomless eyes. Nor did he offer the keys to her.
“I have some business to take care of,” she said, trying to keep any hint of how stressed she was out of her voice. She wasn’t sure she had succeeded as rattled as she was at his sudden appearance, her concern for Misty overwhelming her, and the trouble she knew she was soon bound to encounter weighing heavily on her thoughts. She held out her hand for the keys.
“Then I’ll go with you.” It wasn’t an offer, but a statement of fact, and he wasn’t relinquishing her keys.
“Alone.”
His gaze continued to hold hers, hard and determined. Did he know what was going on with Misty? Or was he just concerned she’d run into more vampire troubles if she went out alone?
“I have to go alone,” she reiterated, hating that he didn’t ever seem to take no for an answer, but she had no choice in the matter. Once she realized he wasn’t going to give her keys back to her, she dropped her hand to her side. She had another set of keys so she might as well let him think he’d won this round, then when he let down his guard, she’d be out of here.
“You had a call early this morning. I answered it since you were sleeping so soundly,” he quietly said.
Her eyes widened, then she narrowed them. How dare he answer her phone! But the concern as to what the call was about foreshadowed her irritation that he would commandeer her phone. “What… who?”
“The woman said to come to the exchange at ten, not before.”
Alena let out the breath she’d captured in her throat.
“Come, have breakfast.” When Alena hesitated, he shut the door and touched her arm, attempting to encourage her to come away with him. “You can’t take care of business for a couple of more hours. And you shouldn’t do it on an empty stomach.”
“Are you sure… sure, it—” Damn, she couldn’t let him know about the kidnapping. “It was about Misty, right?”
“Yes,” he said, moving her toward the kitchen, his hand at the small of her back. “The woman said Misty was fine, and she’d see you at ten.”
He led her to the bar in the kitchen and sat her down. When Sutton began cracking eggs into a pan, her lips parted in surprise. Dressed in well-worn denims and a navy T-shirt, he looked much more casual than the night before. And his hair was neatly tied in a ponytail again. But seeing him cooking breakfast didn’t mesh with the image she’d had of rogue vampires—hostile, heartless, lurking in the dark, waiting for his or her next unsuspecting victim.
“Would ham and cheese omelets be okay?”
The worry over Misty still garnered her attention, but the aroma of ham and cheese sizzling in the pan made her stomach grumble. Hunger pangs attacked her with a vengeance. For now, she had to bide her time, then figure out a way to leave without Sutton tagging along when she made the rescue attempt.
“Are you sure about the call? You didn’t get the message wrong? Was she surprised to hear a man’s voice instead of mine?” she asked.
“Aye, I was careful to listen to the details. I mentioned you were sleeping, and I could take the message. She didn’t seem to mind at all.”
Her heart heavy with concern about her friend, Alena squirmed on the green leather stool. She turned her attention to the kitchen when Sutton opened a drawer. Cherry wood cabinets fitted with hand-painted porcelain knobs and a tile backdrop of a ship sailing across a blue sea caught her eye. All of the counters were covered in white tile, immaculately clean. If nothing else, Mona appeared to be a great housekeeper.
“Mona doesn’t cook your breakfast?” She tried to think of something to say to get her mind off Misty or inadvertently give her plans away to Sutton. But she didn’t know why she kept bringing Mona up. She wasn’t jealous of Sutton’s human blood host.
“She’s just the housekeeper.” He gave Alena a small smile. “Besides, I like to cook.”
Vampires required blood for a supplement, but had to have food to subsist also. Still, she’d never thought of one liking to cook. Even most of the arrogant hunters she knew thought it was a woman’s job, despite that the huntresses earned their keep just like the men.
She tucked a loose curl of hair behind her ear. “I take it you’re going to join me?”
He stared at her, way too long for comfort. Hell, she knew he meant to go with her, wherever her business took her. “I meant join me for breakfast.”
“Of course.” His gaze shifted back to the omelets. He slid a spatula under one and flipped it over. “Did you sleep well?”
“Must have. I didn’t have any nightmares this time.”
His gaze shot up from his chef duties. “Do you often have nightmares?”
Wishing she hadn’t mentioned it, she never put any stock into dreams like some did. “Yes. But I can guess what you’re thinking. A vampire has been visiting me for real in the middle of the night, when I think it’s only a dream. But vampires can’t trick a hunter in that manner. Only humans. These dreams don’t mean anything.”
“A vampire has been visiting you?” A flicker of something she couldn’t read reflected in his dark eyes.
She didn’t know why she’d automatically assumed he’d think she was having dreams of that sort.
He poured a glass of orange juice. “How long have you been having the nightmares?”
She sighed, wishing she hadn’t mentioned it. “I’ve had them forever.”
“Yet when you slept with me last night, no nightmares.” He shrugged nonchalantly, but she felt it was all a show. He was more than concerned about her dreams, but she sensed he was trying to curb his reaction so she’d tell him more about them. He arched a brow. “Which means you’re meant to be with me so that I can chase away the bad things that attempt to visit you in the night.”
Frowning at him, she clenched her hands in her lap, irritated beyond reason. “Listen, how can I be the one for you when you can’t even get my name straight in bed?”
She hadn’t meant to bring it up like it bothered her or for her tone of voice to be so harsh, attempting to remind herself it shouldn’t make any difference because it definitely wasn’t what she was here for. But the nerve of the guy! If she wanted someone to seduce her, he’d better damn well get her name right.
For a moment, his eyes widened, most likely surprised he’d made the mistake. Then he offered a devilish smile. “Ah, Alena. You canna fault me after you saw how similar the two of you look. It will take some getting used to, lass.”
“When will you ever get it through your thick skull you aren’t going to seduce me and make me your vampire mate?”
Although not allowing him to seduce her was getting to be more of a problem. She didn’t worry about his making her his vampire mate. She’d never go down that perilous path.
He served up the eggs, the melted cheese dripping from the edges, then took a seat beside her at the kitchen bar. “It is just a matter of time,” he said wearily. “Tell me more about these nightmares of yours.”
Did he think he could wear her down until she finally agreed she was Elizabeth? Yet in a perverted way, she almost wished she could make the connection, as much as she was experiencing these bizarre love fests with a man she didn’t know, just to see what would happen. But the fear of losing herself and never finding her way back, rivaled the desire to go there.
For a moment, she didn’t say, not really wanting to share her nightmares with anyone, then she figured what difference did it make? It would while away the time until she had to rescue Misty. And they really didn’t mean anything.
“In the dream, men chase me through a dense forest filled with spruce and pine. I know that if I can reach a cave in the mountainside somewhere in the Highland wilderness, I’ll be safe.”
“Why would you be safe there?” Sutton lifted a fork of cheesy omelet. “Was it hidden from view? Or was someone in the cave who would keep you from harm?”
She tried to block the image of the mountain, the yawning opening dark and deep that called to her, offering her protection. “It’s only a dream.”
“Who were the hunters?” His voice grew dark and concerned, as if he were questioning her about a situation that had truly occurred, and he didn’t want her to stop there.
