A Taste of Love and Evil (21 page)

“Oh, Rose.” Jack wrapped himself around her from behind, pinning her arms at her sides. He buried his nose against her warm flesh and nuzzled the junction between her neck and shoulder. His prick nudged her ass. “You know everything about love.”

“Sex is what you mean.” Rose squirmed in his embrace. “I’ll screw you again later if you’re still alive.”

This casual, almost indifferent offer didn’t hold much appeal. Or much weight. Or much hope, but he didn’t want to think about that. He just wanted to have her again. Right here, right now.

“Let me go,” she said.

Jack tightened his arms around her. “Rose, you do everything because of love. You took the costume to save your boss’s business. You saved my life and then got me out of a jam even after I treated you like scum. You cooperated with me to keep Juma safe, even though I was being a complete asshole. You did your damnedest to help Linda Dell. You were sweet to that poor fucked-up guy at the bookstore. You were loyal to Violet in the face of threats, and now you’re here to save me again.” He splayed a hand across her belly. “All this love, in spite of a mother who rejected you. You put me and my lousy relationship with my father and my petty rescues to shame.”

Rose squirmed again, but he sensed her soft, smooth skin heating under his touch. Breathlessly she said, “You’re idealizing me, Jack. Because I’m perfect for sex, you want me to be perfect in other ways.”

You
are
perfect. For sex, for love, for everything.

He didn’t want to think about that, either. His nasty voice piped up helpfully.
She’s right. You’re deluding yourself.
He ignored it and licked Rose’s ear.

She trembled in response but kept on talking. “Everything I do has a selfish motive. I wanted to have sex with you from the moment I saw you. Who knows how I would have reacted if some other guy had been shot?”

“You would have helped him.” Jack cupped her breast and rubbed his thumb across her nipple. Rose murmured her pleasure but tried to pull away. No. Jack abandoned her breast to tighten his arms again.

Rose hurried on. “Of course I don’t want Miles to go bankrupt, and sure, I didn’t want to disappoint Violet, but…”
She shook her head impatiently. “I’m just as selfish as the next person, and none of this matters right now. You’re in danger.” She shoved hard with her elbows.

Jack hissed in pain and let go. His arm was bleeding again. With a sigh, Rose turned to lick the blood away. Jack took the reprieve to think fast. “Let’s go into the secret room. Nobody knows about it, not even Gil. We’ll be safe in there. Rose, we really need to talk.”

She left off licking his arm long enough to glance at his now-tented towel. “Right,” she said dryly, and flicked her tongue down his arm, then let it drop. “Fine, let’s talk. You knew I wouldn’t be in any danger at Violet’s. She’s a bit crazy, but her daughter’s a great kid, and Tony Karaplis is wonderful. In fact, your coming along would have made things worse, since Violet is understandably upset with you.” She folded her arms across her chest. “So, Mr. One Chance, No Lies. Why did you try to keep me here?”

“The truth,” Rose demanded. She tightened her arms, trying to shut off the arousal. His erection was distracting her like crazy, not to mention the pheromones drifting out from his armpits and beckoning her toward him. “Get dressed, will you? We can’t have sex again right now.”

“I didn’t try to keep you here. I suggested you wait until a reasonable time to visit Violet and then let me accompany you. I knew Stevie was back in town, so I assumed the same about Biff.”

“There’s no reason to suppose I couldn’t deal with Stevie
and Biff just fine on my own. There was no danger at all, and you know it.”

“There was plenty of danger. There still is.” He took a breath. “I don’t want you falling afoul of Titania.”

“Ah.” Rose hoped she sounded light and aloof. “Why didn’t you mention
that
this morning?” She tapped her foot; she couldn’t help herself.

“I didn’t want to frighten you. She doesn’t attack Violet directly because Violet’s support system is very strong, and Titania doesn’t want to risk reprisals. As far as she knows, you have no support system at all. Does she know you’re a vamp?”

“Not yet,” Rose said. “I refuse to be afraid of her.”

“If you want to survive, you’d better be afraid of her,” Jack said. “You upset her plans, you laughed at her, and you had the gall to say she doesn’t scare you. She won’t be able to let that go. She’ll be even worse when she finds out you’re a vamp.”

Rose scowled. “How do you know?”

“I just know,” Jack said. Reluctantly, Rose let it pass. His affair with Titania was none of her business. The past was done and gone.

“She will stop at nothing to get back at you,” Jack said. “You
must
stay out of her way.”

“I can’t just leave. She’d find me if I went back to Chicago. Besides, I refuse to desert Violet and Juma—where is Juma, by the way?” She unfolded her T-shirt.

“She’s with Gil and a real-estate agent. Violet doesn’t deserve any consideration. She got you into this mess. Don’t put that on.” He grabbed the T-shirt and dropped it on the floor. “I like looking at your breasts. Naked is best, but that’s a very classy bra.”

Rose tried to glare, but she couldn’t prevent the tingle of desire in her belly. She halted it right there. “I didn’t
have
to steal the dress for Violet. I chose to. You may find this hard
to understand, but Violet and her daughter, and Tony Kara-plis, too, are about as close as I’m ever likely to get to family.” A new fear washed over her. “That is, if I haven’t screwed up already by running over here. I don’t want Biff to come to harm, but I couldn’t let you be killed.”

She struggled with a wave of sadness. “I hope Violet understands. Zelda might, but she’s loyal to her mom—and I really love seeing that, don’t get me wrong. I would have
loved
to be loyal to my mother.” She bent to retrieve the T-shirt—anything rather than choking up. “And Tony’s hugely comforting, just what I would have liked for a dad.” Her voice trailed off. “I
need
them. I don’t know what I’ll do if they don’t understand.”

“If they don’t, they’re not worth your time.” She barely suppressed a snarl. “That’s all very well for you to say. You have a father, even if you don’t get on with him. I don’t even know who mine is. My stepdad was okay until I hit puberty, but then he started coming on to me. I don’t blame him for being attracted—men don’t seem to be able to control that—but eventually it got out of hand and I had to leave.” She sniffed. “Your mother loves you and gives you t-teapots.” A few traitorous tears escaped. “Mine says it’s my fault my stepdad couldn’t run for state senator, because his teenage stepdaughter left home to become a mobster’s mistress.”

“Your fault?” Jack clutched his head. “Unbelievable.” “It’s always my fault,” Rose said glumly. “Violet may be crazy, but at least she won’t shun me because I have fangs.”

A spasm of pure misery crossed Jack’s face. No camouflage, none at all. “Hell, Rose—”

“I’m sorry.” Rose sniffled. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Upset me? I insulted you. I should get on my knees and beg you to forgive me.” He eyed her. “But I can think of far more enjoyable things to do on my knees.” His dimple peeped out, and Rose gave a wet little chuckle.

He put an arm around her. “I’m not saying you should give up your new friends or even run away. I’m saying that until we find a way to control Titania, you should stay with me. I can protect you, and I can call on other resources as well.”

She made a dismissive noise. “Money? Influence with the cops? That’s sweet of you, but I’m used to taking care of myself.” She pulled her T-shirt over her head. “You’re not obliged to protect me.”

“I want to.” He’d never looked at her like this before. Those eyes seared all the way to her heart. What the hell was that? Concern? Love?

No. Love? That was crazy. A little kindness, some hot sex, and she was plummeting into love.

He sat beside her, leaning in to kiss her, but she turned away. “Violet wants me to stay at her place while I make her a new gown. I’ll be safe there.” She unlaced one of her spare sneakers. “I appreciate the thought, Jack, but as I said before, you don’t owe me.”

He grabbed her shoes and tossed them into the secret room. “It’s nothing to do with owing you. That’s a load of crap to do with my relationship with my father. I always hated his generosity to me when he was so unkind to my mother, and her patience with him made me feel I should hate him all the more. Like someone had to do the despising, so since she refused, it fell to me.” He shrugged. “That didn’t stop me from letting him pay for everything, so maybe I should be despised instead.”

“No!” Rose cried. “Your parents’ relationship was none of your business.”

A smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. “Tell that to a seven-year-old. And yes, I know I’m not a kid anymore. I’m trying to shed the baggage.”

She went after her shoes, and he followed. “The thing
about vampires started when a vamp broke up my parents’ marriage. It’s a long story, but they’re back together now.” He paused. “Trust me, I have a thousand reasons to protect you. To take care of you.”

He wanted to take care of her?

“If you pick up those shoes again, I will throw them out the window.”

Instantly, her fangs slotted down. “You’re trying to keep me here again. Why?”

He glanced at the tented towel around his waist. “I think at least one of the reasons is sufficiently obvious.” He shut them into the secret room.

Okay, this she understood. Sex she could do. She sank willingly onto the mattress with him.

Late afternoon sunlight spilled through a vent at the end of the room, illuminating dust motes and Jack’s face. His naked, uncamouflaged, beloved face. God, she had it bad. Softly, his fingers traced her features. Briefly, his lips touched hers. His hand rested on her shoulder.

“What exactly did Biff say to Violet?”

Rose tried to ignore the astonishing comfort of Jack’s embrace. This was just sex. “Biff told Violet he’d messed up last night. He said Constantine was livid. He was terrified of what Constantine would do if he didn’t find the guy they were after. Who else could it be but you?”

Lightly, Jack caressed her arm. “If Constantine wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t send some two-bit thug. I don’t know why Biff told Violet Constantine ordered the killing, but now that we know Biff’s working at cross-purposes with the underworld—”

“What?”

Jack’s hand slid down Rose’s arm to her hip. His fingers took possession of her thigh. His thumb tantalized her groin. “After lurking in Violet’s garden to check on you and almost
getting caught, I went to Blood and Velvet to look for bugs. Supposedly, no one knew I would be at that hotel but Violet. She swore she hadn’t told anyone.”

He leaned in to kiss her again, an intoxicating kiss, heated but slow, lustful but tender. When Jack broke it, she drew reluctantly away. He shifted backward on the mattress and pulled her T-shirt over her head. He squeezed her waist gently and ran his fingers up her spine. Helplessly, she arched like a cat.

“I found a bug in Violet’s office, and then Biff showed up. He’d gotten inside the club with the carpet cleaner and then knocked him out. If he was worried about what Constantine might do, why screw up even more by hurting an innocent bystander? Then he took a shot at Tony Karaplis—”

“Oh, no! Is Tony okay?”

“Tony’s fine, but Biff got away. I assume he planted the bug.” He unsnapped Rose’s bra, easing it slowly off her breasts. His eyes devoured her with slow, languorous heat. His fingers trailed to her waist and folded down the sweatpants to toy with her navel. “Was he spying on Violet—for whatever reason—and accidentally heard her talking to me?”

Rose grabbed his hand before it went lower. She couldn’t think about Biff or Violet with Jack working her into a haze of lust. “I think he wants to sleep with Violet, but he sounded seriously frightened.”

“You know what I think?” Jack leaned forward and dipped his tongue in Rose’s navel while his fingers slipped under her waistband.

“It’s amazing you can think at all right now,” Rose said irritably.

“I’m an amazing sort of guy,” Jack replied. “I think Biff’s afraid Constantine is angry enough to send him nightmares.”

Rose shivered as he trailed his tongue along the path his fingers had taken. “You believe Constantine sends bad dreams? I thought that was just hype.”

Jack frowned into the sunbeams. “What I believe is irrelevant. Constantine terrifies people with just a look. If they have nightmares after that, it’s as likely to be their own fear screwing with them as anything Constantine does.” He tipped her onto her back, lifted her hips, and pulled the sweatpants down. He crawled between her thighs and spread her nether lips with his thumbs. He took his time, getting an eyeful of her in the sunlight, a satisfied smile on his face. His thumb wandered over her clit.

Oh.

Rose got a grip on herself and squirmed away. “But you do believe it, don’t you?”

Jack shrugged, and his fingers resumed their teasing exploration.

“Stop that. Just till I finish talking.” She had to tell him what she knew. She couldn’t let him go to the lion’s den unprepared.

Jack laughed and withdrew a tantalizing inch.

Breathlessly, Rose said, “When I met him at a concert, Constantine offered to send a nightmare to my Neanderthal boyfriend because he was acting jealous. I figured he was joking, but maybe not. Maybe he can do…unusual things.”

“Just don’t expect Constantine to help you get rid of me.” Jack’s fingers explored again as he crawled up to kiss her breasts. “It won’t work. I’m immune to Constantine’s nightmares.”

Slow, raunchy jazz started up someplace nearby. Languid, sexy music, encouraging Rose to sink into the rhythms of pleasure. She watched Jack through half-closed eyes as he tongued and suckled, suckled and tongued, one aching, quivering breast and the other, back and forth, while her clit throbbed its delight at his touch.
Why would I ever want to get rid of you?
She ran a hand up his muscled back, wound it into his hair, and shut her eyes, bathing her senses in
pheromones and sweat, sex and passion. Her fangs, quiescent until now, slotted down.

She would tell him about Constantine as soon as they were done. “Kiss me.”
Love me.
“Fuck me.”
Make love to me.

“Anything you want,” Jack said huskily, and his mouth met hers.

In the living room, Rose’s cell phone rang.

Rose broke the kiss. “I have to answer that.”

“If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.” Jack’s fingers feathered her now-tender nipples as he drew her back into the kiss.

The phone rang again. “I won’t be able to relax if I don’t answer it.” She rolled away from him.

“Don’t be a slave to the phone.” Jack shot out an arm to pull her back. He blew on her neck and she almost sank back into that delicious lust. “Be a slave to me.”

The phone rang a third time. Rose yanked out of his arms and ran.

“Or me to you. Either way,” Jack was saying, but Rose was already flipping open the phone.

A whisper, so faint even her vamp hearing barely caught it. “Rose.”

She plugged her other ear to shut out the funky jazz. “Miles? Thank God. Did you get my message? I got a check from my customer, so everything’s fine.”

“Rose, help, but please…” His words were slurred, the last one a croak. “Only if…”

“Miles, what’s wrong? What do you need me to do?”

“Dress.” Then a squeak: “Don’t—” The line went dead.

Rose punched the call-return button as Jack came up beside her. “What’s going on?”

“It was Miles. Something’s wrong.”

Jack’s face fell and his erection followed suit. He got that harsh look she recognized from before. “Rose, I don’t think—”

The call was picked up midring. “Rose, how lovely of you to call.”

Titania? Dizzily, Rose sucked in a breath. Was Titania still in Chicago? Or was Miles…

Oh, my God.
Her heartbeat sped up and her knees wobbled. Jack put an arm around her and leaned close to listen.

“Miles is
dying
to see you again.” Titania tittered. “Literally! Didn’t I warn you about creative punishment?”

“That was supposed to be me, you slut, not Miles!”

Titania’s laughter echoed across the airwaves, and a volcano of rage surged inside Rose. Jack squeezed her shoulder.
Don’t,
he mouthed, shaking his head.

Rose’s heart twisted, contorted, tore. Her fangs burned. Saliva gathered.
I really am an animal. A slavering bitch. I’ll kill her.

Jack put a finger to her lips, pressed it against a wet fang. Mouthed,
Don’t say anything.

“I’ll get to
your
punishment later.” Titania paused evilly and assumed that syrupy tone. “Or if you grovel enough, I might consider being merciful.” Another calculated pause. “Sure, why not? I’m in a good mood. I won’t bite Milesy-poo anymore. I’ll tickle him instead!”

Miles’s high-pitched laughter split the air. “Don’t do it!” He erupted into horrific giggles and shrieks.

A car door slammed. “Gun it, Gino. I’m in a
hurry.
You know what I want, Rose. I’ll be in Bayou Gavotte soon. I’ll give you Miles when you give me the gown.”