Adrian (3 page)

Apart from his natural strength, Adrian was combat-trained. His strikes were precise, controlled, unlike his opponent’s. It wasn’t long before Adrian had the rogue’s neck in a vice grip.

“Tell me how you found this place,” he demanded, steel threading his voice.

When the vampire didn’t respond, he tightened his grip, choked him until his arms flailed and he grunted his defeat. “Vincent Ramsey. He’s related to one of my clan members.”

Darkness stormed across Adrian’s handsome face.

Lydia had heard the name, but couldn’t place it.

Adrian grasped the vampire’s head and gave a quick twist. Bone and cartilage snapped. Bile rose to her throat as she looked away.

“Let’s get back,” Adrian muttered.

He dragged the limp body of the vampire with little effort. Breaking his neck hadn’t killed him. Decapitation or silver bullets to the heart killed a vampire. They returned to the warehouse in silence. Lydia avoided asking Adrian about Vincent Ramsey for now. She walked over to her car and leaned, emotionally tired, against the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Adrian reach into his car through the open window and talk on a cell phone. Within fifteen minutes, a large black SUV rolled to an abrupt stop nearby. Three men hopped out, lifted the vampire and placed him in the rear seat. The vehicle sped off and disappeared around the corner. She shivered and rubbed her hand over the sore spot on her throat, recalling the scrape of the vampire’s incisors. It came away moist with blood.

Shit.
She might be poisoned. Not enough to turn her, but enough to make her very ill. Rogue vampires never got vaccinated for a bacterium that was harmful to humans.

“Lydia.”

She gave a little start as Adrian appeared before her and touched the skin below the wound.

His eyes flashed with anger and emotions she couldn’t read. “Bastard,” he uttered with a low growl. “There’s risk of poisoning. Let’s get you to my place so I can apply salve to it.”

Self protection locked her muscles.
His place.
Bad idea. Despite her present health risk, her blood pulsed with keen awareness of this man, this vampire whom she disliked a little less now.
Okay, a lot less.
Her mind was screaming all kinds of warnings but her body had its own agenda. Since that evening at the gala.

She made a last ditch effort. “Thanks for saving my life, but I think the nearest hospital will do.” She silently scolded the odd huskiness of her voice.

A muscle flexed in his jaw as he clasped her elbow. “Lydia, I have the salve and the knowledge to treat this. Plus, I live only ten minutes away. The nearest hospital is twice as far.” His tone was inflexible.

She was weakening, drawn to his sensual, potent energy. Her legs moved and soon she was sitting beside him in his car. She wasn’t a car aficionado, didn’t recognize the make. It was a luxury, beefy sports car with black leather seats that felt good against her body. She flipped down the visor and examined the short, raw streaks on her throat. Blood had coagulated in the deeper tears.

Adrian handed her a couple of tissues, which she pressed to the wound.

Lydia barely noticed the direction in which he drove. It could have been Islip. She leaned her head on the seat and looked out the passenger window. “This Ramsey…is he a mole?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Looks that way, but we’ll investigate.”

She shut her eyes in an effort to block out his effect on her. She was still a bit shaken from the attack. Her defenses were down, and it dawned on her that she really shouldn’t have agreed to let him treat her.

“I’m not going to sleep with you,” she stated in a flat voice, but was surprised by how empty the words sounded in her ears.

She felt his mood darken. It practically crackled in the air.

The angry heat of his gaze burned into her. “Damn it, Lydia. I just want to help you.”

She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, feeling a pinch of embarrassment. Attack or no, her battle was with herself. Her desire for him. She wasn’t going to try to figure it out. It was pure lust.

She glanced at him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I just meant…” She gave a frustrated sigh as he stopped on a drive of a beautiful stone house. “Forget it.” Lydia pushed the door open and got out.

Chapter Two

Adrian disinfected her wound and applied the salve he’d prepared. A ripple of pleasure went through her as his warm fingers brushed against her throat gently. It was also soothing, especially after the vile touch of the rogue vampire. Her skin absorbed the salve and within minutes, any remaining soreness was alleviated.

They were in his kitchen, Lydia perched on a stool next to a marble island. He slid open a drawer and extracted a mirror.

“Look.”

There were no cuts on her skin, just a pink mark that looked like a hickie. “That’s amazing.” She met his gaze. “Thanks.”

He gave a brief nod. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have been exposed to any danger.” A muscle clenched in his jaw. “It’s never happened before.”

She lifted her shoulders. “It’s not your fault.” She put the mirror on the counter.

The dark current circled them again, tighter this time. The intensity of his gaze drew hers, locking it. He reached out and brushed his hand across her cheek, a sensual caress that shot down to her toes. Then a shadow crossed his face and his hand dropped away .

“I think we could both use a drink.” His voice was sober.

Disappointment flooded her. He’d deliberately broken the connection.
You did warn him off
, the voice in her head piped up.

“I’ve got red and white wine, and whiskey.” He looked at her over his shoulder.

“Red will do.”

He opened a new bottle and pulled out two wine glasses from a cabinet. Her gaze traveled down his back as she envisioned the chiseled muscles underneath. He approached the other side of the island and pushed the glass across to her. She watched him take a long sip, then she raised the glass to her mouth and had two good sips. They took a lot of the edge off her nerves.

She caught his gaze. “I want you to tell me something.”

A dark brow quirked. “What would you like to know?”

“Why don’t you have long-term relationships?”

Charcoal eyes flashed with unreadable emotion. Neither angry nor pleased. He drank again before putting his glass down.

“I’m two-hundred and fifteen years old, Lydia. I’ve had more than a few long-term relationships.” His reply was curt, but didn’t carry any rancour.

Her fingers traced the circumference of the glass. “But not anymore.”

Dark lashes obscured his eyes for a few seconds before his gaze met hers. “No.” He paused. “I loved two women more than my own life, a vampire and a human. I lost them both…many years ago.”

Her heart squeezed. “I’m sorry. What happened?”

He regarded her with shuttered eyes as tension edged his mouth. “Irena was an agent in the Unit. She was killed by a rogue vampire… Natalie dropped out of my life in her late-forties. She couldn’t deal with the fact that I never aged.”

Lydia absorbed this for a moment. “Didn’t Natalie wish to be turned?”

“She begged me to and I refused. I couldn’t destroy her nature. Kill her soul.”

“She must have been heartbroken,” Lydia said softly.

He inclined his head. “She was, and it was my fault for bringing her into my life.”

“So now you have brief relations to avoid emotional pain.”

The heat of his gaze penetrated her. “It’s a wise choice. My intentions are clear from the start.” He emphasized the latter point.

Lydia recognized honesty. She looked down at her half empty glass. She’d judged him unfairly, based on rumor. He wasn’t an insensitive womanizer. Vampires had a strong sex drive, which had to be fulfilled. She couldn’t hold that against him.

He spread his long fingers on the counter and compelled her gaze to his. “You thought I was a pig, right?”

Color infused her face. “I…well…people talk.”

He gave a wry smile. “They do. Some women, unfortunately, believe they can change my mind once they get into my bed.”

She nodded. “I get it.”

His eyes dipped to her mouth before returning to hers. “So, what do you want, Lydia?”

It was a loaded question.

She took another long sip and held his gaze evenly. “I want to remain human. I’ve never had an intimate relationship with a vampire…and I don’t want a serious relationship with one.” She hesitated while releasing a long breath. “However…my attraction to you is disturbing. I need to get you out of my system.”
There. It was out.

A flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. “I know, Lydia.”

Her brows lifted. “You do?”
God, I’ve been so obvious?

“Nothing based on rumors, I assure you.”

Smartass.

He came round to her side and she had to tilt her chin to meet his gaze. He cupped her face and her heart skipped. His thumb swept along the edge of her bottom lip.

“I’ve wanted you since I first saw you, but you shied away like a frightened animal at the gala.”

She couldn’t deny it.

His perceptive eyes moved over her face. “You were attacked by a vampire tonight, Lydia. I’m not sure sex, especially with me, is a good idea.” A silky voice roughened by need.

Lydia closed her eyes for a moment and pressed her palm to his hand. She didn’t want to like him too much, wanted a part of her to dislike him for her own good. She opened her eyes. “It’s probably not a good idea either way, so let’s not analyze it.”

She heard the hitch in his breath as his eyes darkened. “I’m not a gentle lover.”

A wicked shiver danced over her skin. “I know.” She curled her fingers around his hand and moved it away from her face, her hand slipping into his. She stood up, barely reaching his shoulder. Her blood surged with anticipation.

“I don’t need to be anywhere tonight or tomorrow. It should be enough.”

A low chuckle rumbled in his throat. “That’s barely thirty hours, sweetheart. I wouldn’t mind keeping you for a week.”

Lydia angled her gaze at him with a cheeky smile. “Short and intense will do.”

Adrian’s home was neat and furnished with tasteful, masculine furniture and expensive-looking electronics. His bedroom was immense, the biggest she’d ever seen. She gazed in awe at the king bed covered in black and red silk. How fitting, she mused. Sumptuous dark curtains gathered by a rope revealed sheer curtains at the single, high window. It overlooked a large plot of land with a swimming pool and lounge chairs. Adrian had done well for himself.

He was behind her. Her pulse jumped as he pushed her hair over her shoulder, exposing her nape. His mouth made contact with her skin, velvet kisses along the curve of her neck. A swipe of his warm tongue followed by a light graze of fangs. Goose bumps sizzled through her body. He rounded on her pulse as it fluttered in response.

“Your scent has been driving me crazy,” he purred as he tasted her delicate skin. “Citrus and honey.” He swept up and tugged her earlobe with his teeth, sending more shivers across her skin.

A sigh escaped her as she melted against the solid flesh of his chest. His erection was a hot rod on the small of her back. She bit back a groan, eager to fill the hollow ache of her sex with it.

“If you feel uncomfortable at any time, tell me,” he murmured.

She gave a brief nod.

Adrian’s hands came around to the front of her shirt. Instead of buttons, it had snaps, which he yanked apart within seconds, tossing the shirt to the carpet. He bit down gently on her shoulder as his large hands cupped her breasts over her bra.

He made a low growl of pleasure and lifted his mouth. “You’re absolutely delicious, Lydia. I’m going to devour you.”

A current of excitement arced through her.
Devour me, yes.

He removed her bra and her jeans, leaving only the pair of black panties. She’d removed her boots at the front door. She experienced a jab of vulnerability, being exposed to his hungry gaze as it moved over her body. Her nipples tightened as did the ache in her sex. He lifted her into his arms as though she weighed little more than a feather. Lydia nuzzled his throat, breathed his scent of forests and his personal brand of vampire.

He laid her down on the sumptuous bed and she raised herself higher on one of the plush pillows. He stepped back, but never broke eye contact. He shed his clothes and a low sigh escaped her. A more gorgeous man she’d never seen. He was compact, honed flesh, from broad shoulders and smooth chest to bands of steel across his abdomen. Her breath caught at the sight of his cock. So thick she doubted her fingers could close around it fully. So long she wondered with a stab of concern if she could take it all in.

He removed something from the bedside table—it looked like a roll of black silk—and tossed it next to the pillow. Muscles rippled with contained power as he moved onto the bed. A shiver of fear and excitement coursed through her.

He nudged her legs apart with one of his as he lowered himself over her. She got up on her elbows to welcome the hunger of his mouth. Her fingers pushed into his thick midnight hair as he explored her mouth with moist strokes and nips. When his tongue pushed between her lips, the kiss turned urgent, a sweet invasion of deep jabs as his hand closed around her throat. Gentle, possessive pressure. The knowledge that he could take her life thrilled her in ways too decadent to admit, let alone fathom.