that her rushed exit from the office had meant she was aware of his attraction to her. But she'd also gasped when she'd noticed his eyes. Did his Undead nature frighten her? Probably so. After surviving a vicious vampire attack, why would she welcome the advances of another vampire?
But when he'd kissed her, she hadn't pushed him away. Perhaps there was hope after all. He closed his eyes, picturing her in her tiny skirt. He would stroke her golden thighs, then slide his hand under her skirt to feel the sweet curve of her hip and bottom, and the tender, moist flesh between her legs.
With a sharp breath, he cleared his mind. What a fool he was. Intellectually, he knew a female Vamp presented the most suitable mate for him. Yet here he was, lusting for a mortal. And even worse, the one mortal who was off limits.
She totally intrigued him--physically, emotionally, and intellectually. She was such an interesting mixture of determination and self-doubt, emotional strength and hidden wounds. She reminded him of himself.
And what were her hidden motives for being here? What made an intelligent woman with a bright future guard the Undead and risk losing her memory when she left? He had to know. Last night while she'd slept, he'd teleported into her bedroom and slipped a tracking device into her handbag. He would know exactly where she and Carlos were going.
He wandered back into the bedroom to shower and change clothes. After taking care of the women on the sidewalk, he teleported to the parking lot at Romatech Industries.
Connor showed no reaction when Ian marched into the security office. He simply turned off the television.
Dougal and Phineas gave Ian sympathetic looks before focusing on their shoes. Bloody hell. He hated pity even more than humiliation.
"We'd better make the rounds." Dougal headed out the door. "Come on, Phineas."
Phineas paused halfway out the door. "Man, that Corky bitch was wack. You want me to set her straight?"
"Nay." Ian smiled halfheartedly. "But I appreciate the thought."
"Anytime, bro." Phineas raised a fist and punched the air. "I got your back." He closed the door as he left.
Connor sat behind his desk and quietly studied Ian.
"Have a go." Ian folded his arms across his chest. "I reckon ye're wanting to rant at me."
"I reckon ye've endured enough humiliation for one night."
Ian lifted his chin. "Doona hold back on my account. I have a high threshold for pain."
Connor's face remained blank, though Ian detected an amused glint in his blue eyes. "Ye should have known Corky couldna be trusted."
"I did, and I warned Vanda. She dinna believe me."
Connor lounged back in his chair. "I daresay she believes you now."
"Aye." Ian smiled, recalling Toni's description of her as a screeching, flying monkey.
"The situation is hardly amusing. I hear there are over twenty women camped out in front of the townhouse."
"Doona worry. They're all gone. I took care of it."
Connor gave him a bland look. "And were ye careful with the disposal of the bodies?"
"I dinna kill them!" Ian paused when he saw Connor's mouth twitch. The damned Scotsman was playing with him. "Verra funny."
Connor chuckled as he rose from his chair. He approached Ian and slapped him fondly on the back. "Lad, how did ye manage to make such a mess?"
Ian felt his face redden. "I'm trying to clean it up. I took the names and phone numbers of the women on the street. They were happy to leave after I talked to them a wee bit. The puir lassies were freezing out there."
Connor shook his head. "I canna imagine being that desperate for love."
Ian sighed. Didn't everyone need to be loved? He'd endured twelve days of tortuous pain on Roman's Stay-Awake drug just so he could look older and find true love. "There's another problem. Did ye see how Cora Lee announced to the whole vampire world that I aged? Everyone will wonder how that happened."
"I doubt any Vamps want to age." Connor circled his desk and sat. "But if anyone finds out that the drug enables a vampire to stay awake during the day--"
"The drug could be used as a weapon," Ian finished the sentence. "I'm sure the Malcontents have been dying to know how Roman managed to invade their headquarters during the day to rescue Laszlo. If they figure it out, they'll do anything to get their hands on that drug."
Connor drummed his fingers on the desk. "I'll tell Roman that we need to either hide the drug or destroy it.