Till the Break of Dawn (14 page)

“Is there a problem?” Marcus asked.

The instant he opened the door I could tell the officers recognized him. The tall, dark-haired man standing closest stuttered a little and the shorter blond behind him just stared open-mouthed. This was a hell of a time to have fans show up.

Chapter Fifteen

From where I sat at the foot of the bed I had a really good view of the officers. Marcus was so tall that I could see underneath his arm, despite his attempt to stand directly in front of me. The protective gesture was nice, but I didn’t have a problem with people knowing I was in his hotel room.

The dark-haired officer seemed to collect himself first. “We’ve had some complaints about the noise.”

I found it odd that in a hotel that catered to vampires, they never heard people scream. Or perhaps it was the nature of my screams they found so alarming.

Bless his heart, he was blushing so dark he looked purple. The policeman cleared his throat nervously. “A lady next door said she’d never heard a woman scream like that before.”

You couldn’t have wiped Marcus’ grin off with sandpaper. I heard his thoughts just as clear,
“You’re damn right she was screaming.”
 

Not used to having other people’s voices in my head, I jumped a little when it happened. It took me a second to realize he really hadn’t said anything out loud.

“She thought somebody was being killed,” the officer clarified.

I glanced around the room, surveying the damage we’d done. My first thought was that it looked like a crime scene. One of my shoes was by the door, my shirt was underneath the window, my bra was over one of the lamps, Marcus’ clothes were nowhere to be found except the shirt I was wearing and I had no clue in hell where my panties were. And let’s not forget that the bed was completely destroyed. There were also traces of blood on one of the pillows where I’d been bitten. Holy shit.

I couldn’t fight back my laughter any longer. Marcus reached behind him and I stepped forward to take his hand. I couldn’t help but notice how perfectly I fit beneath his arm and how good it felt to be held against his side.

“As you can see, she has not been harmed,” Marcus said smoothly.

“I assure you, I’m not in any pain,” I added.

At my words the officer blushed even darker which I didn’t think was possible, and Marcus laughed. They seemed as startled as I was when I’d heard him laugh for the first time. His on-camera persona was so frightening, it was hard to imagine him smiling the way he was. His normally smooth hair was in complete disarray and he still couldn’t wipe off that grin. Seeing “Nightmare” standing there in nothing but a robe with a half-naked woman must have been a shocker, particularly in light of the complaint.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but isn’t this something that hotel security would normally do?” I asked.

“Yes ma’am. It is. But given the nature of the guests who stay here—” He turned to Marcus who gave a really impressive “in character” glower. “Well, the police usually respond when vampires are involved. Just to be safe.”

“We understand,” Marcus said. There was that grin again. “We’ll try to keep it down.”

“It’s his turn next though, so if you get complaints about a man screaming, I’m not killing him either.”

I don’t know what came over me. Given their reaction I couldn’t seem to stop myself from teasing them. Marcus tugged my hair gently from behind as if to say, “Don’t provoke the police, dear.”

He was just about to close the door when the blond cop finally found his voice. “Sir, could I have your autograph please?”

Marcus looked surprised. “Um, sure.”

He stepped back so that the officers could move just inside the door.

“Do you guys have a piece of paper?” Marcus asked.

I watched as they rummaged through their pockets. Finally, they handed him their ticket books. I laughed softly while he signed them both. As the officers backed toward the door the dark-haired one said, “Thanks. And if we get another call, it’ll be us to come back. Um, we won’t disturb you or anything, but we have to respond.”

The blond spoke then, “If you hear another knock at the door, don’t mind us.”

Marcus closed the door as he repeated, “We’ll try to keep it down.”

He leaned back against the door and nearly doubled over laughing. “I’m sorry, Dawn. I hope you weren’t embarrassed.”

“No. I’m a little shocked though. I’ve never had a noise complaint against me before.”

“Can you imagine what they’re going to say when they get back to the station?”

I don’t think I’d ever seen him laugh so hard. It was nice. My smile was involuntary. It felt good to see him this way.

“Look at this room,” he said, gesturing around as he stood up. “Holy shit.”

This time I laughed too. “I think you impressed them.”

“Oh, my God. I didn’t realize it looked this bad.” He ran a hand through his hair before stretching. As he did this he arched his back, causing his robe to open wide again. “You want to take a shower with me?”

My hair was tangled and my body was covered in sweat. A shower sounded wonderful.

“Sure.”

Marcus didn’t exactly fit in normal showers, especially not the ones in hotels. His head sticks up above the top of the curtain and he has to adjust the shower nozzle to hit him right in the face or keep ducking down to get his hair wet. I’d only taken a shower with him once before and had forgotten how much fun it was to watch. This is what I was thinking about when he turned on the water. That is, until he dropped the robe. I could have looked at his body all night and still not be tired of it. He has the most incredible long legs, with perfectly sculpted thighs. They’re the kind of thighs that make you want to touch them, flexing every time he moves, drawing your eyes upward whether you’re aware of it or not. Every time I thought I’d decided on a favorite body part, he’d turn and I’d change my mind. When he turned his back to me and bent down to test the water, I could no longer resist the urge to touch him again. He rose as I moved my hands over the expanse of his back, reveling in the feel of every muscular curve. I wrapped my arms around his waist and sighed.

Marcus put his hand over mine and patted them gently. “Are you feeling okay? I tried not to take too much blood.”

He turned in my arms and held me against the front of his body. The top of my head barely reached his chest. I felt small, but not helpless. In fact, I felt powerful when I was with Marcus. Here was this big man who could do anything to me he wanted. He didn’t have to do anything I said … but he did everything.

“I’m a little weak, but other than that I feel fine. Of course, that could just be from the sex.”

He kissed the top of my head and turned to check the water again. “I think it’s ready.”

When he moved the curtain back I noticed the new tattoo on the inside of his left biceps. It was a gothic style tombstone in the shape of an angel with its wings spread. The stone at the angel’s feet read, “Amanda.”

He noticed where I was looking and stretched his arm out so that I could see the new addition better. I traced my fingers over the design solemnly, wondering where I might end up on his skin someday.

“It’s beautiful. I think she would have liked it.”

“I’m not leaving until I find out who did this to her. When I go, I hope you’ll give some thought to coming with me this time.”

“I will.” I ran my hand over his arm again, admiring his other tattoos as I spoke. “Stay with me while you’re here.” I made it more of a statement than a question.

He answered without hesitation. “All right. It’s too late to leave tonight, but we should probably check out early tomorrow.”

A thrill ran through me. The realization that he would be in my home was a great feeling, and one I hadn’t expected. In that instant I knew how much I wanted this.

Marcus motioned for me to stand under the water and I sighed when he started to wash my hair. I’d never had a man wash my hair before. The feel of his long fingers massaging my scalp made me forget what we were talking about until he said, “How about we leave at noon? Is that too early for you?”

“Isn’t it too early for
you
? I mean, it’ll be daylight outside.”

I turned around to face him and he winked. “I told you, I’ve always been an insomniac.”

“But you’re a vampire. You’re supposed to sleep during the day or die or whatever it is you do when the sun is up.”

He laughed. “Well, technically I’m dead all the time. I do feel compelled to rest when the sun first rises. But I don’t need much sleep, even by vampire standards. I can be awake during the day, I just can’t be exposed to sunlight. Besides, it’ll be easier for me to leave when people aren’t expecting it. After what happened tonight, it won’t be long before fans and the press finds out where I’m staying. We should get out of here as soon as possible.”

“How will you leave?”

“Easy. I’ll put on one of my cloaks.”

“You mean one of the ones like you wear to the ring? You travel with those?”

He shrugged. “Hey, I’m used to going straight from one show to the next. I’ve traveled with spandex somewhere in my luggage for over forty years. Does it really surprise you that much that I’d have a cloak?”

I laughed. “I guess not.”

He pulled me close again and I rested my head against his chest while he rinsed my hair. The way Marcus touched me wasn’t sexual and yet it was almost as intimate as making love.

“When the police were here, I could hear your thoughts inside my head. Well, just one thought. That didn’t happen before.”

“Remember when I said that once I bit you, there were certain things that couldn’t be undone?”

“Yes.”

“The connection between us is one of those things. With every bite we will become more of a part of each other. It’s one of the reasons that vampires don’t often feed from the same person more than once.”

A pang of jealousy ran through me and I fought to control it. In seven years he must have bitten other women. Could they get inside his head the way I did tonight? The thought was much more painful than I’d expected.

“Are you connected this way to anyone else?” I asked.

He smiled and I wondered if he was reading my emotions. Maybe it was because his expression was kind rather than amused that made me melt back against him. Whatever it was, I knew that Marcus understood my fears.

“Other than occasionally feeding from David, I go to blood banks or drink a blood substitute.”

My shoulders relaxed as he spoke, his words alleviating my concerns.

“But you could drink from anyone you wanted. Thousands of women would stab each other for the chance.”

“Which is precisely why I don’t take advantage.”

Marcus stepped out of the shower first and wrapped a towel around his waist. He picked up another towel and spread it open in invitation. I hugged him as he wrapped me up before releasing me to finish drying.

“By the way, you heard my thought because I wanted you to,” he said.

“You tease. You can turn it off and on at will, can’t you?”

“Enough to know what you’re thinking right now.” He took a step closer, letting his towel fall to the floor. “I do believe there was some mention of making something up to me. What you’ve got in mind should do the trick.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist, enjoying the way his naked body felt against mine.

“It’s getting late. Do we have enough time?”

“How much do you need?”

“How much do we have?” I repeated.

He looked down at me, wet hair framing his face. He was so incredibly handsome that for a moment I was taken aback, unsure of how to proceed until he answered, “Till the break of dawn.”

I smiled at the double meaning of his words. Since I knew he wouldn’t break me that meant he intended to make love to me till first light. Like I said when I first walked into his hotel room, I’d never wanted to be anywhere more.

*****

“Did I wear you out?”

Marcus ran his hands over my body, pulling back the sheet as he spoke. His big hand rubbing over my belly made me stretch cat-like until I pointed my toes, arched my back and finally opened my eyes.

Waking up to his smiling face was something I could definitely get used to.

“It can’t possibly be time for you to be awake yet,” I said sleepily. “I must be dreaming.”

It seemed like only minutes ago I had rolled over to find him sprawled out beside me, his body still warmed by my blood. His scent lingered on the sheets that I pulled back underneath my chin. I sighed and rolled toward where he sat beside me, curling my body around him.

“You don’t have to look so damn cute,” he said, laughing. “It makes it even harder for me to snatch you out of bed if I have to.”

My eyes fluttered open again. “You’d really snatch me?”

“We’ve got to go if we’re going to get out of here without reporters finding us. I’m sure those cops have already told everyone they know about what happened last night.”

Memories of the night before made me smile as I stretched again and forced myself to sit up. “Is it noon already?”

“Thirty minutes past.”

“Shit.”

The room was dark except for the lamp Marcus had turned on beside the bed. I’d heard that hotels catering to vamps were light-tight, but that description didn’t really sink in until now.

“Damn, it’s dark in here.”

“They have shutters up during the day,” he explained. “Do you want me to turn on another lamp?”

I sat up, tossing back the sheet. “No. I just need to find my clothes and freshen up a little.”

“Already found them. They’re in the chair at the foot of the bed.” I gave him a surprised look and Marcus slapped my ass. “All you’ve got to do is get ready and help me get out of here.”

I yawned. “Give me twenty minutes.”

Chapter Sixteen

I took a quick shower and put on my clothes.

“Do you have anything to pull my hair back?” I asked.

Marcus handed me a small black band and I used it to secure my long braid. There really wasn’t much else I could do with my hair when it was wet. By the time I was finished he was packed and ready to go.