Lure of Forever (3 page)

"Here, that should warm you up
a bit."

She wrapped her frozen hands around
the mug, grateful to be sitting. Now that he'd dropped the vampire act, he was
even more gorgeous. That smile alone ought to be patented. Had she still been
standing, her knees would have wobbled. This was ridiculous. She didn't react
to men like this, ever. They only ever wanted you for one thing, and as much as
her stomach tightened in anticipation of the feel of his full lips on her skin,
she couldn't allow herself to act on her desires. It was far safer to keep men
at arm's length, especially ones with a dangerously seductive voice and the
ability to make chocolate concoctions to die for.

"I...I'm really..."

She had to clear her throat to stop
it from sounding so breathy.
Sheesh
, he's
gonna
think you're ready to jump him.
Her hands shook
at the image of doing just that, and she yelped when the shaking caused the hot
brew to spill over her fingers. Before she could react, he was there licking
the chocolate off her fingers, and she stopped breathing. Time stood still as
Coralie
sat watching him lick those digits, and when he
cupped her chin to make her look at him, the heat in his gaze lit up every inch
of her frozen skin, until she felt on fire from the inside out.

He smiled at her and his thumb
swiped across her bottom lip. He raised it to his mouth and sucked the drop of
chocolate off with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Hmm.
I could get addicted to hot chocolate."

Oh, good God.
If
he made a move on her now, she would never find it in her to push him away. Damn
her hormones. But instead of closing the distance, he got up and moved away. He
mumbled something under his breath, before turning around to face her again.

Coralie
swallowed nervously at the changed expression on his face.
 
Whatever he was about to say, she was not
going to like it.

"Tell me about this friend you
were standing in for today." His voice held an urgent demand she was
unable to ignore, even as her rational side protested the notion.

"Why, what difference does it
make?" He raised an eyebrow and
Coralie
sighed.
She did owe him an explanation, of sorts. Even if it was just to make up for
the mud she'd dragged in, and the hot chocolate, and the kneeing him in the
balls––though he did deserve that.

"I wouldn't ask unless it was
important,
Chere
."
His deep voice washed over her, the accent more noticeable than before. His
eyes, darkened to a beautiful deep green, glittered like precious jewels. Not a
muscle moved as he waited for her answer and
Coralie's
earlier unease returned with the force of a steam train.
 

"Why is it important? It
doesn't matter, surely. Her little girl was ill and I stood in for her. I quite
often do. She needs the money and she's missed too many appointments lately as
it is. The client paid up front and he paid extra, so she couldn't miss this
gig. Only, now I've ruined it all by getting the wrong boat."

"The only thing you've ruined
is that scum's plans for the night."
 
His growled reply shook with barely controlled fury, and that icy
foreboding she’d felt before returned. "Getting on the wrong boat saved
your life."

Chapter
Three

Merde
,
she looked too pale. All the color had drained out of her face and she clutched
the mug in a white-knuckled grip. Eyes resembling pools of molten chocolate
seemed too big for her face, her luscious mouth pinched in a tight line, and
every curve of her body screamed her anxiety as clearly as her rapidly beating
heart. He had to strain to hear her whispered words.

"What do you mean, it saved my
life? Who was on the other boat?"

Lucas sighed to himself. This would
be so much easier if he could just take away her memories, but her mind was
shielded from him. He had a hard time even picking up her emotions right
now.
 
The more agitated she became, the
stronger the shields, and she seemed to have no idea she was even doing it.
Interesting.

"Damn it, answer me. You can't
just drop a statement like that in the room and then do the big, strong silent
act."

The towel slipped of her shoulders
as she spoke, and Lucas was momentarily distracted by the sight of her lacy
bra, clearly visible through the damp fabric of her top. Her agitated breathing
only served to demonstrate the fullness of her breasts, her nipples poking
through the flimsy fabric in silent greeting.

She pulled the towel back up with an
exasperated, "
Men
," and
pinned him with a stare that any vampire hunter of old would have been proud
of. "Stop staring down my cleavage and explain yourself.
 
Has this something to do with the phone call
you took?"

"
Oui
,
et
non
,
Chere
.
The phone
call was from Ion. He was too late to ascertain much, but there had been a boat
moored around the next bend. Whoever was on it left in a hurry, presumably when
you didn't show up, or rather when your friend didn't show up. You did say you
were standing in for her."

Foutre
,
she went even paler at those words.

"So you're saying he was after
Jerry? He booked her in order to do what, exactly…kill her?" Her voice
broke on the last few words. "But why, and what makes you think that? Oh
my God, has he killed others?"
Coralie
sagged
back against the cushions at his silent nod, as though she needed the support.

"He picks on women on their
own, late at night. Blondes are his preference, but if you'd walked onto his
boat, I am pretty sure your hair color wouldn't have saved you. I am hazarding
a guess your friend Jerry is blonde."

He smiled grimly when she whispered
her assent. This had to be
Jacomo
. It had his
telltale signature all over it. The demon had found a way through the gates
that separated his shadowy world from Earth, and he needed human blood to
survive. Unfortunately for the women he picked, he also liked to play sadistic
games, and the last two hundred years of exile seemed to have only increased
his thirst for mutilation. The sight of his latest victim had shocked even
Lucas, and in his three thousand years of existence, he'd seen it all. Or so he
thought.

He couldn't very well share that
with the human in front of him. Even one as gifted as
Coralie
appeared to be wouldn’t be able to cope with that knowledge. If she even
believed him, that is. Presented with a room full of vampires and shifters,
she'd refused to believe her eyes, after all. If he started talking demons,
she'd probably have him carted off in to a mental asylum.

"But surely, that would have
been all over the papers. I mean, if there is a serial killer on the loose, we
would know. We should know, damn it. Jerry needs to know. Hell, all the girls
do."

Red stained her cheeks the angrier
she became. She was truly beautiful and looked ready to go into battle.
Boudicca had nothing on her right now, and he'd known the great warrior
intimately.

"How do you know all this? And
why are you just standing there? Shouldn't you phone the police or
something?"
Coralie
glared at him.

As if they could deal with
this.
 
Jacomo
was his and his alone. He wasn't the council's assassin for nothing. Lucas's
grim laugh had
Coralie
rounding on him with narrowed
eyes.

"I fail to see what's so
amusing about wanting to phone the police. It's what any sane person would do.
Oh, I forgot, you vampire wannabes have too many screws loose at it is."

She stopped ranting when his warning
growl registered and her eyes grew huge again. He forced himself to unclench
his fists and took a step towards her. She sank further back into the cushions
and he
followed,
his hands on either side of her
shoulders, his face inches from her. She swallowed visibly and he raised his
eyebrows.

"Screws loose?
Vampire wannabes?"

****

Oh no, now
he
looked ready to
kill her.
Me and my big
mouth
.
Mum, God rest her soul, always said it would get her into hot
water. He was too close. She couldn't think when he was this close, and he
looked furious with her.

"I…I am sorry, but you have to
admit that's weird."

She held her breath as he continued
to glare at her. And damn if it wasn't the sexiest sight ever. She clamped her
thighs together and crossed her arms in an effort to hide her body's all too
obvious reaction to his nearness. His smile in reaction didn't reach his eyes,
and
Coralie
breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas
straightened and stepped back.

"Weird is as weird does.
 
That's not the issue here. And don't worry.
The police will be informed when there is something to tell. This is out of the
jurisdiction of your ordinary cops. We will get him. I will make sure of that."

"You will?"

Lucas nodded and shrugged his
impressive shoulders as though the discussion they were having was an everyday
occurrence. Then again, maybe it was to him. She had no idea what was going on
here or who he was, but clearly her earlier assumptions were way off base.
Right now he didn't look weird or funny in the head, but downright lethal. The
coiled strength emanating from him coupled with his raw masculinity made for a
heady aphrodisiac.

Good God, she'd turned into Jerry.
Her friend flitted from man to man like bees between flowers. If she was here
she would have jumped him already, consequences be damned. The thought of Jerry
brought her to her feet. She had to warn her. Maybe knowing there was some
sicko
out there, killing women, would bring her childhood
friend to her senses and she would join
Coralie
in
the bakery she worked at.
Boring, but safe.
Too boring
for Jerry up till now, but better bored than dead.

She shivered at the mere thought of
losing her oldest friend. She had lost too many people already.

"We need to get you out of
those wet clothes."

Lucas's voice seemed to have dropped
several octaves and her stomach dropped right with it. A shiver of a different
sort went through her. Good Lord––that voice ought to be outlawed.
Get a grip,
girl, really.

She blinked when his hand gripped
her under the elbow and propelled her to her feet. The move brought her breasts
in direct contact with his chest, and instant heat flooded her cheeks. An
answering heat coiled low in her abdomen and she stepped away.

His eyes glittered in silent
amusement when she glanced up at him, one eyebrow raised in challenge. Damn the
man, he knew exactly what effect he had on her. Could this whole day get any
more weird or embarrassing? Before she could come up with a smart comeback,
however, he propelled her into a bedroom. The sight of the huge bed covered in
silk sheets sent her heart into overdrive.

"Sit down. I'll find you
something to wear." His breath fanned along the sensitive skin on her
neck. Her knees gave way and she practically fell at the foot of that luxurious
bed. He smiled his approval and turned his back on her. Against her will, her
eyes strayed to his tight backside, showcased in expertly faded denim.
Coralie
bit her lip.
Really, girl, stop it.

Looking around the luxurious bedroom
didn't help to distract her. Whoever Mr. Delicious was, he liked his creature
comforts, even on a canal boat. Understated elegance was the word that sprang
to mind. And he must like his security, if the metal shutters against the
portholes were anything to go by.

He cleared his throat and she forced
her eyes back to the man in front of her. He'd stopped rummaging through the
huge wardrobe and stood watching her with a wary expression. He held a pair of
ladies' jeans and a turquoise t-shirt in his hands.

"These should fit. You look
about
Marnie's
size."

For some reason, the fact that he
could produce ladies' clothing at the drop of a hat sent bitter disappointment
coursing through her.
What did you think, stupid, that a man like him would
be unattached?
 
He probably had a
string of girlfriends, damn him. And why the hell did that bother her so much,
anyway?

"Are you sure your girlfriend
won't mind you
dishing
her clothes out to strange
women?"

Her toes curled under in her sodden
boots as his intense gaze raked over her slowly, a sardonic smile curling his
full lips. Heat spread through her veins in response to his slow appraisal of
her body, and when his eyes came to rest on her nipples they reacted with
embarrassing predictability, straining against the confines of her bra. She
resisted the urge to wrap her arms over them. Damn it, she was not going to be
that easy, her body's demands be damned. And how could she even react to him
like that, when there was a killer on the loose?